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Testimony heard on speed-camera bill

Howard County Times, 12/06/07
Nate Sandstrom

Donna Stecker said it's not easy for her to obey Long Corner Road's 30 mph speed limit, but in a neighborhood where many senior citizens and children live, she is careful to do so.

Many other drivers on the Mount Airy road are not so patient, she said.

"I have people tailgate me, they blow their horn at me," Stecker said. "It's a very frustrating thing, but I do take a stance."

At a public hearing last week, Stecker and her husband spoke in favor of a bill sponsored by state Sen. James Robey, an Elkridge Democrat, that would allow the Howard County Police Department to set up cameras along county roads to monitor drivers' speeds.

Two residents testified on each side of the issue during a Nov. 29 public hearing in which the Howard County delegation reviewed local bills it will consider when the state legislature convenes in January.

If approved, the cameras would be allowed on roads with speed limits up to 45 mph and speeders could face fines of up to $75. A judge would not be able to assess "points" against a speeder's driver's license, Robey said.

In order to become law, a majority of both Howard County's eight delegates and three senators must approve the locals bills, including the speed camera bill. The bills then need the full General Assembly's approval.

The General Assembly passed a statewide bill allowing police to use cameras to catch speeders in certain residential areas during its 2003 session, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Robert Ehrlich, a Republican.

Del. James Malone, a Democrat who represents Elkridge and is vice-chairman of a House committee that hears traffic bills, said he expects his committee will review a statewide bill again this year.

In 2006, the legislature passed a bill that allowed Montgomery County police agencies to use the speed cameras.

More fatals than murders

Howard County Police Chief William McMahon, who testified in support of the bill, said there have been 104 fatal vehicle crashes in Howard County since 2002, about 17 a year.

"When you weigh that against the four to ... six lives the county loses a year in homicides, I'm sometimes surprised there's not more outrage about this loss of life," McMahon said.

About three-quarters of those fatal crashes were on roads with speed limits of 45 mph or less, McMahon said. Speed was a factor in more than half the fatal crashes, although alcohol and other factors contributed in some cases, he said.

The cameras would give police another tool to prevent speeding on county roads, which McMahon said is the top source of citizen complaints.

Not everyone supports the idea. Some residents said drivers who receive tickets from the speed cameras will not have a fair chance to challenge the cameras' accuracy.

"How can you receive real due process under this law?" asked Ellicott City resident Michael McPherson.

Howard County Republican lawmakers also expressed some skepticism about the bill.

Sen. Allan Kittleman, a West Friendship Republican, suggested that the bill be amended so that the Howard County Council would also have to approve the use of speed cameras.

Del. Frank Turner, a Columbia Democrat, also said he has been contacted by residents who say they are concerned it will be used to generate revenue or that the cameras would be used "on every block."

The police department would use the cameras in select spots where many drivers speed and do not see them as a way to raise money, McMahon said.

Robey said the fines in the proposed bill are designed to cover the costs of purchasing and operating the cameras.

"Hopefully, (it will deter drivers from speeding and) we'll start losing money on it," he said.