by Marlene Berlin
More cameras are watching what drivers in DC are doing. And not just on major commuter routes and intersections.
For weeks, the Metropolitan Police Department has been testing cameras that snap photos of drivers who speed through intersections, fail to come to a complete stop at stop signs, and/or fail to stop for pedestrians at unsignalized crosswalks. Some will be used to identify vehicles that block intersections. Other cameras are being placed in residential areas near construction zones to look out for over-sized trucks illegally passing through.
And today, MPD announced that the new cameras are going live as of tomorrow. MPD will will issue warning tickets to violators until December 29th. Then, beginning Monday, December 30th, drivers will be fined for violations.
Here you’ll find lists of the locations and the penalties:
This has been in the works for some time. I first met Lisa Sutter, head of MPD Automated Enforcement, when she walked into the Rock Creek West Livability work session at the Chevy Chase Community Center in December of 2010.
She gave a brief presentation about her program and all the new automated enforcement coming to DC. As a longtime pedestrian advocate, I felt like Santa Claus has walked into the room. It has been a long wait since then.