School zone speed cameras turn back on Aug. 31. Here's how many tickets they gave out last school year.

Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Providence Journal
·4 min read

Speed cameras in school zones of four Rhode Island cities are turning back on next week with the start of the new school year.

The automated cameras issue tickets to speeders on school days between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Under state law, the speed cameras can only be placed in school zones and can only operate 180 days a year, tied to when school is in session.

In Providence, cameras were removed from the trashcan-like housings over the summer and have since been put back in. They will start issuing tickets on Monday, Aug. 29.

A speed camera warning sign on Division Street in Pawtucket between Joseph Jenks Junior High School and McCoy Stadium.
A speed camera warning sign on Division Street in Pawtucket between Joseph Jenks Junior High School and McCoy Stadium.

Providence has moved six of its 20 cameras to new locations.

In Central Falls, Pawtucket and East Providence, the cameras will start issuing tickets on Wednesday, Aug. 31, the first day of school. None of the cameras have been moved and none have been added.

Big ticket revenue

Speed cameras also mean big business for a few cities, generating millions in revenue.

A speed camera in Providence in 2019.
A speed camera in Providence in 2019.

Last school year, Pawtucket's speed cameras generated 95,654 speeding tickets worth $4.78 million. Pawtucket and East Providence both use the company Sensys Gatso USA, which takes a $7.30 cut of each ticket and charges $2,500 per camera for every month they're in operation, per contracts with the cities.

By the numbers: Here's how many tickets school-zone speed cameras gave out the 2021-2022 school year

In East Providence, between January and May 20, cameras issued 62,464 tickets at $50 apiece, a total of $3.1 million in fines, not accounting for any that may have been contested.

In Central Falls, the cameras started issuing tickets on Jan. 28 and continued through June 15. In all the city issued 2,685 tickets worth $134,250.

A request to Providence for its speed camera ticketing data has been pending since June.

Providence Speed camera locations

In all, Providence has 20 speed cameras. Providence Police Spokeswoman Lindsay Lague wrote in an email that cameras have been moved to six new locations.

• 100-200 block of Douglas Avenue in front of Times Squared Academy, targeting westbound traffic

• 182 Thurbers Ave. at the Juanita Sanchez High School, targeting eastbound traffic

• Two cameras at the 100 block of Blackstone Boulevard and Butler Avenue, in front of the Lincoln School, targeting northbound and southbound traffic

• 400-500 block of of Plainfield Street at the Laurel Hill Annex Elementary, also known as the Frank Spaziano Elementary School, targeting westbound traffic

• 300-400 block of Hope Street at the Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, targeting northbound traffic

• 100 block of Bridgham Street at Central High School targeting northbound traffic.

According to an updated list provided by the city for 2022, there are also cameras at:

• 500 block of Hope Street at Hope High School, targeting southbound traffic

• 773 Chalkstone Ave. at the Nathanael Greene Middle School, targeting westbound traffic

• 114 Olney St. at Hope High School, targeting eastbound traffic

• Dexter Street at Waldo Street at the Alfred Lima Elementary School, targeting southbound traffic

• 187 Douglas Ave. at the Times Squared Academy targeting westbound traffic

• 417 Charles St. at Esek Hopkins Middle School, targeting northbound traffic

• 156 Reservoir Ave. at Reservoir Avenue Elementary School targeting northbound traffic

• 459 Promenade St., at Paul Cuffee Lower School, targeting westbound traffic

• 93 Cranston St. at Providence Career and Technical Academy/Central High School targeting westbound traffic

• 1200-1300 block of Chalkstone Avenue at the Mt. Pleasant Academy and the George West Elementary School, targeting westbound traffic

• 400-500 block of Eaton Street at St. Pius V Elementary School targeting eastbound traffic

• 70 Union Avenue at Children's Friend targeting eastbound traffic 

• 434 Mt. Pleasant Ave. at Mount Pleasant High School, targeting southbound traffic

• 800-900 block of Branch Avenue at San Miguel School, targeting westbound traffic

Central Falls speed camera locations

• Lonsdale Avenue at Blackstone Valley Prep

• 500 block of Hunt Street at Ella Risk Elementary School

• 100 block of Hunt Street at Raices Dual Language Academy

• Broad Street at The Learning Community

• Illinois Street at Central Falls High School

• Pine Street at Captain Hunt School

• Washington Street at Calcutt Middle School

East Providence speed camera locations

• 3070 Pawtucket Ave. at St. Mary Academy Bay View

• 2680 Pawtucket Ave. at Kent Heights School

• 179 Forbes St. at Riverside Middle School

• 42 Bishop Ave. at St. Margaret School

• 2000 Pawtucket Ave. at East Providence High School

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island school zone speed cameras: Locations and when they turn on