Red Light Camera Enforcement Begins April 15

Motorists in Rockville should take note: Rockville police will begin issuing tickets next week from three new red light camera locations operated by the city of Rockville.

A month-long grace period to allow the community to prepare for the new cameras ends on Monday, April 15. The cameras are part of the city’s effort to improve vehicle and pedestrian safety in Rockville. Cameras in other locations have proven effective, with the city experiencing an 80 percent drop in the number of violations in the first seven months since the new technology was implemented last fall.

Rockville brought three additional red light cameras online last month. The new locations are:

* North Washington Street at Middle Lane (North Bound)
* Park Road at N. Stonestreet Ave (West Bound)
* Gaither Road at Redland Blvd (North Bound)

Rockville began operating cameras to enforce red light laws on Nov. 1, 2002. The program was an initiative of the Mayor and Council to protect pedestrians and motorists.
The program supports police officer enforcement of traffic laws.

Cameras record violations when a vehicle:

* travels straight through or makes a left hand turn at an intersection that has a red light, or
* makes a right turn on red, where permissible, without coming to a full and complete stop.

Last year, the City transitioned its red light camera program to a new vendor, which replaced all of the cameras with five cameras operating at the following intersections:

* North Washington Street at Beall Avenue (South Bound)
* West Gude Drive at Gaither Road (West Bound)
* West Gude Drive at Research Blvd. (East Bound)
* West Gude Drive at Research Blvd. (West Bound)
* Seven Locks Road at Fortune Terrace (North Bound)

The three new locations listed above bring the total number of city-operated red light cameras to eight. Locations for a ninth and tenth site are currently being evaluated.

Starting after April 15, citations will be issued at the newest three locations, with the civil penalty of $75 for each violation. Points are not assigned to the vehicle owner’s driving record (similar to a parking ticket), and insurance companies cannot consider these tickets in calculating insurance rates.

For more information on Rockville’s red light camera program, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/police/redlight.html or contact Maj. Mike England with the Rockville City Police Department at 240-314-8913 or mengland@rockvillemd.gov.

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