Westwood neighbors tell drivers to hit the brakes on speeding near school zones

With school back in session, more kids are walking along the sidewalks and crosswalks.

While school zone flashers light up to give drivers a warning, a study by the City of Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) reported that most drivers aren’t following the rules.

The study, published earlier this year, looked at four different Cincinnati Public Schools zones in May 2024, monitoring speed for 15-minute intervals while the zone flickers were on during the arrival or dismissal portion of the school day.

DOTE focused on one major road near each of the following schools: Gamble Montessori, Withrow High School, Woodward High School and Shroder High School.

Data showed that an average of 95% of drivers drove above 20 miles per hour in each school zone, with 59% driving 30 miles per hour or more on average.

The Gamble Montessori school zone has a 20-mile-per-hour limit when lights are on or students are present.

The school zone along Westwood Northern Boulevard for Gamble Montessori had the highest rate of 30+ mph drivers, with 95% of drivers going 10 or more over the mandated school zone speed, according to the city.

“I feel like they should put up cameras around the school area just to make sure that everything’s OK,” said Sidney Coleman, a neighbor who lives a few blocks from Gamble Montessori.

“We can use a couple streetlights down to make sure that people stop,” Coleman added.

We sat down with council member Mark Jeffreys and asked if speeding is an issue at any city school zones, regardless if they were included in the 2024 study or not.

“I don't know about every school zone, but it's certainly an issue across the city, it remains an issue across the city,” said Jeffreys.

Residents who live in school zones told us they see similar problems.

Samantha Horn is a resident who lives across the street from James N. Gamble Montessori High School, right by where the school zone starts.

“I had my car hit last October, it was totaled, so I had to replace it,” she said.

Horn said that it isn’t just her family — a bunch of her neighbors have dealt with drivers colliding with parked vehicles. She said that she and her neighbors filed petitions to attempt to get speed humps along their street to try and curb the speeding they see right in front of their doorstep.

“We aren’t seeing the level of interest in the issue that we think is needed to solve the issue,” Horn said.

WCPO 9 News brought these concerns to Jeffreys, his suggestion to anyone looking for safety improvements in their area to come together with their Community Council. He noted they should collectively send in a request.

Residents in Cincinnati can also find information on Hamilton County’s 311 website , to make calls or go through the 311Cincy App.