By Adam Pagnucco.
In the last fiscal year, Montgomery County issued more than 300,000 speed and red light camera citations. And guess what?
There could be a whole lot more coming!
Last month, County Executive Marc Elrich sent the Montgomery County Police Department’s (MCPD) 2024 Automated Traffic Enforcement Plan to the county council. The plan details the recent history of the county’s use of speed and red light cameras and outlines its plans for the next two years. Here’s the two-word version of those plans.
More. Cameras.
Want more?
The chart below shows red light camera citations over the last five fiscal years.
The chart below shows speed camera citations over the last five fiscal years.
The trends in the two are different. While red light camera citations have been climbing, speed camera citations have been falling. Why is this?
The chart below shows the number of cameras from FY22 through FY26. Red light cameras have been steady since FY22 but citations have risen. Speed cameras have increased since FY22 but citations have fallen. The plan doesn’t explain why these trends have occurred.
Two other things are apparent from the above chart. First, the county only netted $4.2 million in camera money in FY24. That’s a rounding error in the county’s $7.1 billion operating budget.
Second, the county is planning a big expansion of cameras. In early FY22, the county had 78 speed cameras and 51 red light cameras. By FY26, the county plans to have 140 speed cameras and 76 red light cameras. The county projects that its net camera revenues will be $5.2 million in FY26, a 23% increase from FY24.
The plan cites multiple studies finding that cameras reduce speeds, injuries and fatalities. They may also reduce the need for officer traffic enforcement, although the county still relies on the latter for weapons seizures and pedestrian safety. Indeed, the county views officer enforcement and cameras as complements, not substitutes.
Finally, the plan lists “Challenges for collecting automated enforcement fines and holding drivers accountable.” They include:
- Maryland agencies’ ability to suspend vehicle registration for non-payment for an automated enforcement citation was removed in 2020.
- Maryland currently does not have reciprocity with any other states for automated enforcement. Without reciprocity, there are few remedies for collecting fine revenue for out of state violators.
- Credit reporting agencies will not consider unpaid automated traffic enforcement fines when evaluating an individual’s credit report.
- All fines collected at District Court are deposited in the Maryland General Fund instead of paid to the county or municipality.
So there you have it, folks. Don’t forget to smile for the camera when your time comes!
The full plan can be downloaded below.