2006 Code of Virginia § 46.2-873 - Maximum speed limits at school crossings; penalty

46.2-873. Maximum speed limits at school crossings; penalty.

A. The maximum speed limit shall be twenty-five miles per hour betweenportable signs, tilt-over signs, or fixed blinking signs placed in or alongany highway and bearing the word "school" or "school crossing." Any signserected under this section shall be placed not more than 600 feet from thelimits of the school property or crossing in the vicinity of the school.However, "school crossing" signs may be placed in any location if theDepartment of Transportation or the council of the city or town or the boardof supervisors of a county maintaining its own system of secondary roadsapproves the crossing for such signs. If the portion of the highway to beposted is within the limits of a city or town, such portable signs shall befurnished and delivered by such city or town. If the portion of highway to beposted is outside the limits of a city or town, such portable signs shall befurnished and delivered by the Department of Transportation. The principal orchief administrative officer of each school or a school board designee,preferably not a classroom teacher, shall place such portable signs in thehighway at a point not more than 600 feet from the limits of the schoolproperty and remove such signs when their presence is no longer required bythis section. Such portable signs, tilt-over signs, or fixed blinking signsshall be placed in a position plainly visible to vehicular trafficapproaching from either direction, but shall not be placed so as to obstructthe roadway.

B. Such portable signs, tilt-over signs, or blinking signs shall be in aposition, or be turned on, for thirty minutes preceding regular school hours,for thirty minutes thereafter, and during such other times as the presence ofchildren on such school property or going to and from school reasonablyrequires a special warning to motorists. The governing body of any county,city, or town may, however, decrease the period of time preceding andfollowing regular school hours during which such portable signs, tilt-oversigns, or blinking signs shall be in position or lit if it determines that nochildren will be going to or from school during the period of time that itsubtracts from the thirty-minute period.

C. The governing body of any city or town may, if the portion of the highwayto be posted is within the limits of such city or town, increase or decreasethe speed limit provided in this section only after justification for suchincrease or decrease has been shown by an engineering and trafficinvestigation, and no such increase or decrease in speed limit shall beeffective unless such increased or decreased speed limit is conspicuouslyposted on the portable signs, tilt-over signs, or fixed blinking signsrequired by this section.

D. Any city having a population of 390,000 or more may establish school zonesas provided in this section and mark such zones with flashing warning lightsas provided in this section on and along all highways adjacent to Route 58.

E. Any person operating any motor vehicle in excess of a maximum speed limitestablished specifically for a school crossing zone, when such schoolcrossing zone is (i) indicated by appropriately placed signs displaying themaximum speed limit and (ii) in operation pursuant to subsection B of thissection shall be guilty of a traffic infraction punishable by a fine of notmore than $250, in addition to other penalties provided by law.

For the purposes of this section, "school crossing zone" means an arealocated within the vicinity of a school at or near a highway where thepresence of children on such school property or going to and from schoolreasonably requires a special warning to motorists. Such zones are marked andoperated in accordance with the requirements of this section with appropriatewarning signs or other traffic control devices indicating that a schoolcrossing is in progress.

F. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the maximumspeed limit in school zones in residential areas may be decreased to fifteenmiles per hour if (i) the school board having jurisdiction over the schoolnearest to the affected school zone passes a resolution requesting thereduction of the maximum speed limit for such school zone from twenty-fivemiles per hour to fifteen miles per hour and (ii) the local governing body ofthe jurisdiction in which such school is located enacts an ordinanceestablishing the speed-limit reduction requested by the school board.

(Code 1950, 46-212; 1950, p. 881; 1952, c. 666; 1954, c. 244; 1956, c. 364;1958, c. 541, 46.1-193; 1960, c. 153; 1962, c. 307; 1964, cc. 118, 408;1966, c. 85; 1968, c. 641; 1972, cc. 89, 546, 553, 608; 1974, c. 528; 1977,c. 577; 1978, c. 605; 1980, c. 347; 1989, c. 727; 1990, c. 928; 1994, c. 157;1997, cc. 629, 781.)