Speed cameras temporarily to go offline in Prince George’s County
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Speed cameras in Prince George’s County will be offline for a while as the county transitions to a new company causing residents to have mixed reactions.
MD-210 also known as Indian Head Highway is known as one of the most deadliest roads in the county because of a lot of speeding and crashes happen there.
One of the main tools that enforce speed limits will pause operations for a while and for the community, that idea is concerning.
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Rev. Robert L. Screen is part of the MD-210 Traffic Safety Committee, they’ve been fighting to make Indian Head Highway a lot safer when it comes to speeding.
“We have people that go up to 170 miles an hour,” Screen said.
Recently during a county council committee meeting, officials said speed cameras will be offline as they transition to a new company with improved cameras and technology. The county’s contract ended with Conduit on Feb. 24. Although the county has already signed a new contract with new vendor, Jenoptik, the onboarding process will take a while leaving cameras unoperated.
“We’re hoping to keep it within 90 days [from Jan. 18.] Contract procurement in the county is a time-consuming process,” said Jason Smith with the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Bureau of Homeland Security.
Not having working speed cameras until possibly April has worried some council members.
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“I am very concerned about not having them work for any period of time, and if there’s something we can do in the interim so that there isn’t a gap in service, I think we need to work towards that,” said Jolene Ivey, Prince George’s County Council Chair.
For advocates like Screen he believes the wait will be worth it.
“It’s going to be a price worth being paid. The new cameras have all the latest technology, and it’s not like we’re trying to just catch people for catch people sake,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is change behavior. What we’re trying to do is save lives. If we can do that the lost time is not in vain.”
He says he’s hoping while the cameras are offline, drivers will have integrity.
“Just do what you were trained to do when you first got your license at the very beginning of your driving career. So that’s what we’re trying to do is remind people to go back to what they know to do is right and to do it right on this,” he added.
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He says his focus is the end goal which is to ensure people feel safe driving in their own community.
“I think this with the community and for a long time can have a sense of peace and civility on a roadway we haven’t had for a long time.”
Drivers can expect to see more police presence around the county during this transition period.
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