Protecting Pedestrians: Speed Camera Locations in Prince George's County

Here is a map of the speed camera locations found throughout Prince George's County.

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Speed Cameras: Just Another Cost of Driving in Prince George's County?

NBC4: Maryland drivers rack up more tickets than DC drivers.

Gas? Check. Oil? Check. GPS? Check. Speeding ticket? Check? Speed cameras seem to be multiplying in the metropolitan Washington area, including here in Hyattsville, and while they may be a deterrent to some drivers, others may view the charge for whizzing by one as just another cost of driving. NBC4 reported that, in 2012, Maryland had a much higher rate of repeat offenders ticketed by speed cameras than Washington, DC. “In the Maryland suburbs you’re about twice as likely to get multiple tickets,” David Marker, a senior statistician with the American Statistical Association, told NBC4. “By the time you get up to 5 or 10 tickets, you're 20 times more likely to get multiple tickets in the Maryland suburbs than in DC.” Montgomery County had …

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Hyattsville Considers Doubling Speed Cameras on Paper

Emergency legislation needed to bring city speed cam law up to snuff, plus provide room for growth, according to Police Chief Doug Holland.

The Hyattsville City Council will consider emergency legislation tonight which would, on paper, double the number of speed cameras the city police department could operate.  The last minute change would, if adopted by the city council tonight, go into effect only hours before March 19, the date when Hyattsville's new network of five speed cameras are set to begin issuing fines to speeding drivers following a monthlong period where the cameras issued only warnings.  The emergency legislation is needed because of recent interpretations of the laws governing speed cameras in Maryland have emphasized that each individual speed camera needs to be authorized by legislation, according to Hyattsville Chief of Police Doug Holland. Essentially, the …

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Hyattsville Speed Cams Could Go Live Soon

Police chief says cameras could start snapping speeders within a month, if county, state approvals are obtained.

If Hyattsville officials can work out the details with state and county officials, speed cameras operated by the city of Hyattsville could become operational within a month, according to Hyattsville Police Chief Doug Holland. The Hyattsville City Council approved the municipal speed camera program this past April.  Holland, speaking during last night's mid-year budget reports and departmental performance evaluations, said that the city still had to work out a memorandum of understanding with Prince George's County and the State Highway Administration officials over the placement of the cameras.  According to Mayor Marc Tartaro, the State Highway Administration has so far not allowed the city to place speed cameras on Route 1 and East West …

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Will Prince George's County's Speed Cameras be Affected by Program Audit?

State Delegate Jon Cardin seeks to root out bogus citations.

A state delegate from Baltimore County says public confidence in speed cameras has deteriorated to the point that a state audit and possible reboot are needed. Del. Jon Cardin said Monday he plans to sponsor a bill calling for an audit of state and local speed camera tickets with an eye on rooting out bogus citations. "Maybe it's time to go back to the drawing board," Cardin said. The Baltimore County Democrat said he is in the process of drawing up a bill that would create an audit due to legislators by October 2013. Instances of bogus tickets issued to drivers would result in a $1,000 per incident penalty, though it is not clear if the jurisdiction or the speed camera vendor would be responsible for the fine, Cardin said. "I'm not trying…

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Prince George's to Install More Red Light Cameras

County police hope to have 72 up and running by the end of 2014.

Prince George's County police are planning to install dozens of additional red light cameras in 2013, WTOP reports. Police will replace 25 existing cameras first before bringing the total up to 72 by the end of 2014, according to the station. Department analysts will look at traffic data to determine where to place the new equipment. Though many drivers have complained about speed cameras, Maj. Robert V. Liberati told WTOP that public reaction to red light cameras has been more positive. The county installed 72 new speed cameras in 2012, according to the station. Tickets from red-light cameras are $75, while those from speed cameras are $40. Read more from WTOP.

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Council Approves Speed Camera Management Plan

After much debate, Hyattsville's City Council voted to have a single new police officer in charge of both the speed camera program and the police department's tech initiatives.

Hyattsville's nascent speed camera program will soon have a tech-oriented overseer charged with not only maintaining the automatic traffic enforcement devices, but also overseeing the city police department's gadget collection.  Last night, the Hyattsville City Council approved the hiring of one new sergeant level position who would be in charge of the speed cameras and the maintenance and acquisition of new law enforcement technology.  It followed a meeting two weeks ago which saw the city council approve the locations for the speed cameras while balking at making a decision on how the program should be managed. In memos to the city council, Hyattsville Police Chief Doug Holland pushed for a single-officer approach.  City council members …

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Hyattsville Approves Speed Cameras

Automated cameras will soon snap shots of speeding motorists, but City Council delays decision on how many people to hire to run the program.

The Hyattsville City Council last night unanimously approved a proposal to place four portable speed cameras, run by the city police department, at up to 10 different locations within the city.  But confusion over the level of staffing needed to run the program forced the City Council to hold off on a decision to hire one or more new police employees to oversee the speed camera program. The City Council is expected to tackle the hiring decision next week.  In a memo sent to the City Council, Hyattsville Police Chief and Acting City Administrator Doug Holland recommended that the council authorize the hiring of a new Sergeant rank police officer to both manage the speed camera program and the police department's technology initiatives.  …

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Council Set to Vote on Speed Camera Locations

The Hyattsville City Council will vote on eight sites for a new municipal speed camera program.

Speeders beware. Hyattsville could soon be using automated speed cameras to catch your crimes against velocity. The City Council is set to give an up or down vote at its next meeting on Monday to approve the placement of at least four speed cameras along roads in Hyattsville.  City officials have been considering implementing a speed camera program for at least a year.  The program would be run by the Hyattsville City Police Department. The cameras will only snap your photo if it catches you traveling more than 12mph above the speed limit.  The police propose four cameras to be located on the westbound 3300 block of East West Highway, the northbound 5900 block of Ager Road, the westbound 3700 block of East West Highway and the southbound …

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Red Light, Speed Cameras Remain Controversial Even as Numbers Grow

Opponents say the cameras operate in questionable legal territory and provide a warped incentive to the private companies that maintain them.

By Jessica Talson Capital News Service In the 14 years since the Maryland legislature approved red light cameras, about 200 of the ticket-issuing machines have been installed in the state, according to a database compiled by AAA Mid-Atlantic. That doesn't include speed cameras, which are numerous in Maryland, but for which there is no comprehensive database. "[The cameras] are effective because they scare people," said Amanda Clark, 29, who has received four red light camera tickets and a speed camera ticket within the last five years. "People don't want to get hit with a [$40] ticket every day. But sometimes they're placed in the wrong places, like where people don't know the speed limit or if the speed limit changes drastically. But I …

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Danny

9:10 am on Sunday, December 18, 2011

speaking of bikes, it would be FABULOUS if there were technology to give automated $75 tickets to the bicyclists who decide that stop signs and red lights don't apply to them, or who decide they simply can't be bothered to wear a helmet. there isn't a brassiere big enough to contain all the cash those kinds of traffic cameras would be raking in! and let's not forget the pedestrians who don't seem…   more ›