Here's this story in one snapshot:
- Howard County Police will increase patrols and enforce speed limits near schools as students return, with 172 designated school zones using rotating automated speed cameras.
- A new law lifted the previous cap of eight cameras, allowing the county to expand its program, though funding decisions for more cameras will come in the next budget season.
- Speed studies show the cameras are effective, reducing speeding by 92% and collisions by 21%, with citations rising significantly under the new data-driven placement system.
Here's the whole story for a deeper dive:
Beginning Monday, when thousands of Maryland students return to the classroom, drivers can expect to see more Howard County officers patrolling near schools. Soon, they may also see more automatic speed enforcement.
WATCH: More speed cameras allowed in Howard County school zones
“The Howard County Police Department takes traffic safety seriously, and the safety of our children is one of our highest priorities,” Lt. Christopher Valentine with the department’s traffic unit said. “Our officers will be focused on drivers who are speeding, family stop for pedestrians and who are driving distracted.”
The department has 172 designated school zones where automated speed cameras are put in place to catch drivers ignoring the rules of the road nearby schools.
Until this past July, the department was were capped at just 8 total cameras.
“We didn't understand why we were self limiting our ability to deter bad behavior,” District 1 councilwoman Liz Walsh said. “So when the police department said 'Help us get some more cameras,' that was a no-brainer.”
Walsh, with the unanimous support of council, passed a law lifting that limitation.
There are no additional cameras just yet, financing will be a discussion during next budget season. In a response to WMAR-2 News, HCPD did not report to have any goal number for a total number of cameras.
Starting last year, the department took a different, data-driven approach to its camera placement. It resulted in an uptick of citations, from 26,528 in 2023 to 41,920.
The fastest recorded car speed was clocked at 110 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone last May at the St. Louis school.
The cameras currently rotate on a weekly basis and operate Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The department posts where the cameras will be online, which you can find here.
Here is the list of locations where speed will be monitored the first week back to school:
- 6300 blk Ten Oaks Rd
- 6600 blk Waterloo Rd
- 7000 blk Montgomery Rd
- Cedar Ln @ Swansfield Elementary School
- Centennial Ln @ Breconshire Rd
- Cradlerock Way @ Cradlerock Farm Ct
- Frederick Rd @ Lisbon Elementary School
- Ilchester Rd @ Wharff Ln
- Mission Rd
- MD RT 97
- Old Columbia Rd near Riverwood Dr
- Old Montgomery Rd @ Md School for the Deaf
- Ridgley’s Run Rd @ Guilford Park High School
- Saint Margarets Blvd near Southmoor St
Department-run speed studies show that the cameras are effective in reducing speeds, by 92%, and collisions, by 21%.
“We hope everyone sees that it's a really good idea to slow down when you're going past the school building but these cameras just give the police that extra tool to improve driver behavior,” Walsh said.