The District’s photo radar program in October continued to operate as an effective method of both slowing drivers and raising money for the city’s coffers.
Only 2 percent of the 1.85 million vehicles monitored by the Metropolitan Police Department’s fleet of 10 stationary and 12 mobile radar cameras were speeding aggressively enough to generate an automatic violation.
Aggressive speeding, according to the MPD, rose slightly from the 1.8 percent mark in September, but was significantly better than previous years — 2.5 percent in October 2005, 4 percent in October 2004 and 26.1 percent in October 2001.
All told, the District mailed 37,394 infraction notices last month, of which 29,840 were paid, generating $2.33 million in fines. Since the photo radar program was launched in July 2001, 2.1 million notices have been mailed and 1.6 million paid, generating $121.4 million in fines collected.
MPD says the results are “impressive.” The radar system, according to the department, provides consistent speeding enforcement “without taking officers from other community policing assignments or otherwise diminishing public safety services in D.C.’s neighborhoods.”
But critics of the program, led by AAA, have long argued the camera program — both radar and red light — will be justified only when the District can prove it is designed for safety and not for money.
“My concern is that we regularly hear the chief saying that it is cutting down on speeding, cutting down on red-light running, then we hear they’ve got record number of fines,” said Lon Anderson, AAA spokesman. “I’m just waiting for an explanation [about] how they’re collecting record fines when no one’s speeding or running red lights anymore.”
Photo radar fines collected
» October 2006: $2.3 million, 29,840 notices paid
» October 2005: $2.9 million, 39,692 notices paid
» October 2004: $1.8 million, 24,350 notices paid
