In an effort to increase safety near three of Auburn’s schools, the City of Auburn last week activated two new sets of flashing school zone lights on Lea Hill, warning people to watch their speed around the young ones.

City workers installed the 14-to-16-foot-high, flashing yellow lights on 124th Avenue Southeast adjacent to Lea Hill Elementary and on 132nd Avenue Southeast near Auburn Mountainview High School and Arthur Jacobsen Elementary.

The City of Auburn and the Auburn School District have been working together to improve safety along school routes, and the lights are part of the city’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program.

City officials said they proceeded with the installations after hearing from residents and principals at community outreach meetings and via individual requests to city staff.

City Traffic Engineer Pablo Para said the speed in the school zones when children are present is 20 miles per hour. The lights are pre-timed to activate when school starts and after it lets out.

“The flashing lights activate automatically,” said Para, adding that the city code is written so that school zones can be enforced when lights are flashing or children are present.

“You don’t necessarily need flashing lights,” Para said.

Most of the lights are solar powered.

“We try to use these special flashers with solar panels. Some of the speed signs that tell you your speed are required to be hard wired. But in general, we try to use solar panels,” Para said.

Para said that ultimately, the city wants to provide such lights for every elementary school. It has already purchased units for all the elementary schools and is trying to get a project going this year to have them installed.

In addition to the Lea Hill schools, they can be found at Olympic Middle School and at Chinook, Evergreen Heights, Gildo Rey, Dick Scobee and Hazelwood elementary schools.

“They are preset to activate with the school schedule, and we update them every school year to make sure they are current with all the different school schedules,” said Para.

“Anyone in violation of the code who is observed by an officer that is enforcing the school zone speeds at that time runs the risk of receiving a citation.”