Supervisors to consider speed cameras
Fairfax County is considering a pilot program to install mobile speed cameras at school zones and construction sites.
The pilot program would start in the first quarter of 2023 and last six months. It would assess the effectiveness of speed cameras to prevent pedestrian injuries and deaths.
Capt. Alan Hanson, commander of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Traffic Division, presented the proposal to the Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee on Oct. 4. The BoS is expected to hold a hearing on the issue at its Dec. 6 meeting.
Hanson recommended the pilot program include nine mobile cameras in school zones and one in a work zone on Route 28.
The purpose is to discourage speeding, not generate revenue.
A state law that took effect on July 1, 2020, authorized state and local law enforcement to operate photo speed monitoring devices in and around state crossing zones and highway work zones. Enforcement would be limited to vehicles exceeding the speed limit by at least 10 miles per hour. Fines could not exceed $100.
15 responses to “Supervisors to consider speed cameras”
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Why they are marking safety lines to cross any street far away from traffic lights, people forget to look both ways before crossing , they take forever to cross texting and no paying attention to traffic we have to teach people the right way to cross streets I run when I cross any street Iam 67 years old.
You shouldn’t have to run, cars shouldn’t speed through pedestrian areas, and speed cameras can help make it safer for us all.
I hope for speed cameras in every school zone, every location of a vehicle crash with pedestrian/VRU fatality, in the latter the cost of the permanent speed camera should be paid by the insurance of the driver and the driver.
Finally a smart idea from the BoS. They may actually save some lives instead of their own political self interests. .
Bring the cameras on!
How about installing speed cameras on 236 mainly near safeway. That is a busy intersection, and the idiots that want to show off their loud cars speed thru there. Wouldn’t mind speed humps on my residential street as well as some cut thru speeding!!!!
I would just be happy if they crack down on the loud cars on 236 by Safeway.
They need speed cameras all along 236. Also need to have a single speed limit (35 MPH) for the full distance from the Beltway to Alexandria.
Today an SUV was going at least 85 in the shopping district on 236, running right up to the rear bumper before slamming on the brakes and then quickly jumping lanes clipping/nearly clipping cars and running red lights. It was the most frightening thing I’ve seen in 50 years of driving and I’ve seen a lot. Don’t know if the driver was on drugs or just didn’t give a crap about anyone else but the speeding, lane jumping, red light running, turning on red when oncoming vehicles have the right of way, etc. have got to stop before more people are killed.
I bet that driver was from MD or DC.
that is a dumb response
The crosswalk on Columbia Pike & Evergreen (no-longer-the-7-11 over to Aldi) is extremely hazardous. I have been almost killed there about 6 times in the last 2 months. It’s not just people speeding into town coming down the hill. It’s from every direction.
Need serious traffic safety enforcement there. And since we can’t dedicate a policeman to sit there 7×24 forever, we need something else.
Like maybe a sidewalk from Evergreen over to the bus stop by the cemetery, and a light-controlled crosswalk at the Gallows intersection for it.
Speed cameras by schools? Yes, please. As a careful driver, I say, Yes. Photo those crazy fuckers and fine the shit out of them.
First off you don’t need a cop there 24×7. You need one there randomly at different times so that the people who drive there know cops monitor but don’t know when. Be there a lot initially and then they can taper off. Secondly, for people with money, fining folks isn’t really going to change behavior (but does make for a nice revenue stream). What would is getting a ticket from a cop along with the points associated so that losing a license/insurance becomes a reality to the frequent flyers. Finally, you can put in speed bumps, crosswalks, narrow streets to allow for pedestrians/bikers/etc, speed cameras, 5 mph limits, excessive stop signs, threatening don’t speed signs, etc, etc, and so forth but it comes at cost of increased traffic congestion and driver frustration. BoS is looking for extra $$ and this is an easy way to get that stream, regardless of its (in)effectiveness.
Please, YES! Speed kills. I’m tired of burying friends and family because someone is in too much of a hurry and think laws are only “suggestions.”
Do you know what I witnessed today? 15 FFC motor cycle cops clearing the way for a funeral! That’s all fine and dandy but where are they the rest of the day? Where are they between 10 pm and 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights when racing on Columbia pike and 236 can be heard with the windows down? Are the motorcycles only used for one shift? The BOS needs to start publishing statistics on the usefulness of the motorcycle cops. How many citations is each cop writing, what offense, and where. Who has oversight of the effectiveness of the FFCPD?
Speed Cameras are a great idea, too bad it is still a limited initiative, but it is a start!
Speed Cameras at particularly hazardous locations may be a good idea; but we don’t need to be widely spied on by a system with no judgement. That sounds more like a revenue generating scheme.
Illegal turns and not stopping deserves more enforcement, but I don’t want to be surprised for going a little over a very conservative speed limit with no one in sight.