A new bill sponsored by five state senators representing Baltimore County would add speed cameras to the area’s main highways, I-695 and I-83.
Between the two highways, a maximum of 14 new speed cameras could be put up to catch drivers going over the speed limits on those roads. SB0338’s bipartisan sponsors are state senators Benjamin Brooks, Chris West, Shelly Hettleman, Johnny Ray Salling and Charles Sydnor.
The bill will allow the State Highway Administration to place up to four speed cameras in either direction of I-695 and three in either direction on I-83. All ticket proceeds would go back into SHA, it says, to cover roadway and safety improvements on those roads within the county.
The exact locations of these cameras would be identified by SHA and local and state police agencies as high-risk areas for serious or fatal car crashes, the bill says. The cameras would capture drivers going at least 16 mph over the speed limit on I-695 and at least 12 mph over stated limits on I-83.
Unless a police officer gives a citation to drivers at the time of the violation, speeders can expect civil penalties for these violations to be capped at $40, according to the bill. However, another bill working its way through the legislature proposes changing the fines associated with violations caught on speed cameras.
SB0118/HB0182 would increase the ticket cost incrementally depending on how much over the speed limit a driver was going when the camera caught them, with a maximum penalty of $350 for going 40 mph or more over the speed limit.
SB0338, if passed and signed by the governor, would go into effect in July and last until June 2030. If instituted, state police would only mail warnings to speeders caught on camera in the first 90 days of the camera’s operation, the bill says.
A previous version of the bill was proposed last session, when it died before its second reading in the House of Delegates. Its last incarnation drew support from former State Senator, now Baltimore County Executive, Kathy Klausmeier and State Senator Mary Washington.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at [email protected], 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.
