Legislation that would allow speed cameras in construction zones and residential areas has been introduced.
State Rep. Ed Osienski, D-Newark, is lead sponsor on the bill, which has bipartisan co-sponsors.
A bill that temporarily allowed speed cameras in the I-95 construction zone through Wilmington was credited with cutting accidents during a lengthy reconstruction period.
Maryland already allows speed cameras in work and school zones.
According to a summary of the bill, the act would enable the state, as well as counties and municipalities to more effectively enforce speed limits on roads in a residential district in which a Department of Transportation study, no more than one year old, determines that the 85th percentile speed on the road is five miles per hour or more than the posted speed limit or the road is in a designated work zone.
For a violation to occur, a motor vehicle must exceed the posted speed limit by 11 miles per hour or more. The act would impose only civil penalties for violations and does not impose points on the owner or operator’s driver’s license, due to questions over who might be operating the vehicle.
Appeals would be granted if the fine exceeds $100.
Any excess revenue not used for the administration of the system, will be managed by the Office of Highway Safety and used only for purposes of education, enforcement, engineering, and administration. Delaware, like other states, has seen a sharp increase in fatal accidents, with speed often a factor.
The legislation comes after an accident killed six construction workers along I-695 in the Baltimore area. The accident is still under investigation.
