The House of Delegates, normally hostile to such measures, passed a bill Tuesday to allow localities to install cameras at intersections to catch bad drivers. Localities could monitor one intersection for every 10,000 residents. The Senate has approved similar bills this year, and supporters there are open to the House version.
Local governments would decide whether to use the cameras in their jurisdictions and would have to install signs within 500 feet of the intersections informing motorists of the cameras’ presence. The violations are considered civil, so the transgression will not appear on a driver’s record, and fines are limited to $50.
Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church and Vienna stopped using the cameras in 2005 when lawmakers failed to pass legislation reauthorizing the devices.
“We definitely will bring them back if the General Assembly gives us permission,” said Bob Otten, a traffic-enforcement supervisor for the Fairfax County Police Department, which used the cameras from Oct. 1, 2001, to July 1, 2005.
The House bill includes a provision establishing a $1,000 civil penalty for individuals giving the pictures and information about violators to the media or anyone else not associated with law enforcement.
