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Marylou Berg, Communication Manager, 240-314-8105
Rockville Prepares to Launch Speed Radar Cameras As Part of State Program
City Expects First Camera To Be Operating By Mid-March
ROCKVILLE, Md., February 22, 2007— The City of Rockville today announced that it has signed a contract that will enable the City to begin purchasing equipment for its new speed camera program.
The City of Rockville, along with Montgomery County and other jurisdictions throughout the county, will be the first in Maryland to utilize speed radar cameras. It is expected that the first camera in Rockville’s program will be in place by mid-March.
The Maryland General Assembly in 2006 approved a trial program for speed cameras to be used in Montgomery County. Rockville’s Mayor and Council have expressed their gratitude to Maryland State District 17 Senator Jennie Forehand and Delegates Kumar Barve and Luiz Simmons for their efforts in passing the legislation.
Pedestrian safety is a high priority for the City of Rockville. The City believes cameras have the potential to be effective in reducing the number of speeders on local roads.
Speeding is a significant public safety problem both in Montgomery County and around the state. In 2005, 214 people were killed in speeding-related crashes in Maryland, with at least 16 of those deaths occurring in Montgomery County.
A recent poll conducted in Montgomery County by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that 74 percent of respondents believe that speeding is a problem on residential streets and 59 percent favored the use of speed cameras.
The first speed camera to be used in Rockville will be a mobile unit that is rotated among the pre-identified locations. Three additional fixed location cameras will be added later. Signs will alert drivers to Rockville’s photo enforcement upon entering the City and on roads where the speed cameras will be used.
To determine the specific locations for speed cameras in Rockville, the City compiled data to identify the top 50 residential speeding areas in the City. Then, the City worked with a citizens advisory committee to determine the criteria for how roads within the City of Rockville would be prioritized for speed camera use. Those criteria included the road’s proximity to schools, parks and crosswalks, whether there is a presence of a sidewalk and the number of citizen concerns expressed about speeding in a particular area.
Once the program begins, there will be a 30-day period in which only warnings are issued.
After the trial period, citations will be issued to owners of vehicles that are photographed going at least 11 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Fines for violations will be $40, but no points will be assigned to a driving record for convictions. Citations can be contested in Maryland District Court.
“It has been a goal of the Mayor and Council to try innovative ways to protect pedestrians in our City,” said Rockville Mayor Larry Giammo. “We have worked for several years to get the state’s approval to try speed cameras. We are confident that in a short time after we start using them, these cameras will show how they are making a difference in slowing speeders in Rockville.”
The following is a list of locations identified for speed camera use in the City of Rockville:
For more information about Rockville’s speed camera program, including a map indicating the potential camera locations, visit www.rockvillemd.gov.
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