Starting Monday, 10 speed cameras will be brought online to begin recording driver violations in Baltimore. For the first 30 days, warnings will be sent in the mail. After that, speeders will be slapped with a $40 fine.
Many residents say that people are driving too fast on city roads.
"Speed kills," says Jory Kareem. "I don't know what the statistics are, but people seem to be in a hurry today."
"It's pretty dangerous," says bicyclist Sade Brown. "I've had people cut me off. I've had people almost run into me."
However, there's still some skepticism about the true intentions of the new program. Resident Lenny Johnson says he understands targeting drivers during school hours, but not now.
"If it's not 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it's Thanksgiving, or it's in the summer, or not a school day, it doesn't make any sense," he says. "You're just trying to make money."
Program Director Robert Liberati, with the City's Department of Transportation, says the targeted problem areas are still problems in the Summer.
"Baltimore is a busy city. There is always pedestrian traffic. We felt it was necessary to get these cameras out as soon as we can for the safety of our citizens," he says.
The first 10 cameras will be stationed in seven school zones throughout the city, operating between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. Liberati says cameras will only record violations if the driver travels 12 or more miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
"We're really after those people who aren't paying attention or are driving aggressively," he says.
The city says more cameras could be added in the future, or some locations could be made permanent. Eventually, the program will target drivers who run red lights and trucks that violate commercial vehicle codes.
Here is a list of the initial seven locations, starting Monday:
- Frederick Douglass High School: 1800-2400 blocks of Gwynns Falls Parkway
- Vanguard Collegiate Middle School: 5400-5700 blocks Moravia Road
- Holy Angels Catholic School: 900-1200 blocks of South Caton Avenue
- Edmondson Westside High School: 4200-4500 blocks of Edmondson Avenue
- Glenmount Elementary/Middle School: 5900-6400 Walther Avenue
- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute/Western High School: 1200-1600 West Cold Spring Lane
- Gywnns Falls Elementary School: 2600-2800 Gywnns Falls Parkway
