| Lawmakers
seek speed camera trial in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties
BY FULVIO CATIVO
CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE
Speed cameras are back.
Some lawmakers are supporting a new bill to set-up a five-year
pilot program for the radar devices in Prince George’s
and Montgomery counties.
Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. vetoed legislation last year
that would have authorized all localities to install the technology
to catch and ticket speeders.
"There were some real privacy concerns that the governor
had with regard to that bill," Ehrlich spokesman Henry
Fawell said. "I don’t think the governor would be
very enthusiastic about a similar bill this year."
Delegate William A. Bronrott, D-Montgomery, introduced the
new legislation to target speeders in residential and school
zones where the speed limit is 35 mph or less. The two target
counties, he said, face pedestrian accident problems and want
to crackdown on speeders–problems he said the cameras
could curb.
In Prince George’s County there were 103 pedestrian
deaths between 1997 and 2001, according to a CASA of Maryland
study titled "Pedestrian Safety in Crisis: Latino Deaths
on the International Corridor."
Between 1997 and 2001, there were more pedestrian fatalities
than homicides in Montgomery County. Pedestrian deaths rose
from 11 to 18 from 1997 to 1999, according to a 2002 Montgomery
County Report.
"Speed kills," Bronrott said. "It is a leading
killer of Marylanders on our roadways and it is a particular
threat in far too many of our neighborhoods and school zones."
Local governments criticized the governor for rejecting last
year’s legislation.
"This is smart law enforcement," said David Weaver,
spokesman for Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan,
who said cameras would help keep tabs on speeders without
diverting local police. "We can increase enforcement
without increasing personnel."
Local governments would purchase the speed cameras, Bronrott
said. Fines would be about $75 and no points would be assessed
on a driver’s license. If passed, the five-year pilot
program would operate until 2009 and then county councils
would report to the General Assembly on the program’s
effectiveness.
Cost of the cameras varies from $25,000 to $100,000, which
is typically repaid with revenue generated from tickets, according
to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
Foreign countries and Washington, DC, use speed cameras and
have cut down speeding and road risks, Bronrott added.
The District is the only East Coast jurisdiction to use speed
cameras. It has used mobile speed cameras since 2001 and Thursday
it installed its first stationary speed camera in the 600
block of Florida Avenue NE.
Jackie Gillan, chairwoman of the Pedestrian Safety Advisory
Committee in Montgomery County said the technology used in
radar cameras is already used to catch people who don’t
pay tolls when crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
"If you race through a school zone, this administration
doesn’t think you need to be given a ticket but if you
blow through a toll booth they’re going to send you a
ticket," Gillan said.
When he vetoed last year’s camera bill, the governor,
in a written letter, said the Department of Transportation–which
requested the veto–acknowledged cameras would reduce
speed, but found no data to support that they would also reduce
accidents.
Bronrott disputed that and added the bill speaks for itself.
"There is no good reason why crossing the street should
be or even feel like a death-defying act," he said.
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