The CurreNT
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wedNesday, sepTember 12, 2012
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FINES: Task force headed by Cheh, Wells considers lower rates for traffic cameras From Page 1
city officials, AAA Mid-Atlantic representatives and policy experts. While everyone seems to agree that the cameras increase traffic safety, there’s not as much consensus on how to fine for violations. Current fines for speeding in D.C. range from $75 for driving up to 10 mph above the speed limit to $250 for going above 26 mph past the limit. Running a red light yields a $150 fine. These fines have become an increasingly integral part of the District’s budget. According to information provided by council staff, the city anticipates raising $86.2 million through speed and red-light cameras in fiscal year 2013, in part by adding about 58 new cameras. The existing system — 47 red-light cameras and 46 speed cameras of three different types — had raised $66.7 million by June of this fiscal year. The Metropolitan Police Department says the cameras have done their job by increasing safety: Traffic fatalities in D.C. have dropped by 76 percent since 2001, after the city launched a marked expansion of its program. “There’s a general agreement that the cameras work in reducing dangerous behavior,� Wells said. But complaints about the camera’s fines have been common, with critics questioning the validity of the city’s stated focus on public safety. “A high fine is seen as less politically legitimate, and also seen as having a greater impact on lower-income people,� said task force member Laura Langbein, who
works in American University’s Department of Public Administration and Policy. AAA Mid-Atlantic has been particularly vocal in its opposition to D.C.’s fines, accusing the city of padding its coffers through unnecessarily high rates. The group has also pointed out that most of the money comes from drivers who live outside the District — 50 percent of the fines go to Maryland residents, and 15 percent to those in Virginia. Cheh said the fines were raised during the administration of former Mayor Adrian Fenty, who “realized we hadn’t changed our fines since the 1970s.� Only now, Cheh said, is the city getting its first opportunity to look at its automated-enforcement system in a “thoughtful, sensible way� — through the new task force. “I think it’s been really productive,� she said of the effort. One concern about lowering the fines, Langbein said, is whether the change would negatively impact the District’s traffic safety. She said the fear is that some drivers would learn to treat fines as a necessary burden — “almost a toll� — for getting to their destination faster. Council member Wells said most research he’s seen shows scant “rational relationship between the size of fines and the impact on behavior.� Wells said he thinks the task force will help craft new legislation that supports the city’s use and expansion of speed and red-light cameras, but also addresses their “unreasonably high� fines. He said legislation could also steer revenue from the cameras directly toward public-safety initiatives, as opposed
HOTEL: Developers tweak plan From Page 3
had backed the plan from the start, despite its noncompliance with a zoning guideline called the ReedCooke Overlay, which limits new buildings to 40 feet. Supporters point out that the plan would preserve the historic church and bring jobs to the community, and the Adams Morgan advisory neighborhood commission voted 7-1 to support an 81-foot project last month. Others, however, oppose the luxury hotel regardless of its height, fearing gentrification and other community impacts. But developers hope the new design will win over those who were mainly concerned about the height. “We’ve really worked hard to develop and build that consensus so we can go and get this thing approved,� said Wexler. In addition to the reduced height, the accord also changes the zoning approval the developers are seeking. Rather than asking to exempt the project from the Reed-Cooke Overlay, developers are now proposing that the overlay itself be modi-
fied to specifically address the hotel — a change residents hope will make it less likely to set a precedent. The agreement also spells out such issues as traffic management and a list of newly proposed upgrades to the Marie Reed Learning Center, which developers have added to their previously agreedupon list of community amenities. Project documents are available at adamsmorganhistorichotel.com. The Zoning Commission was set to begin a series of hearings on the hotel project last Thursday, but it postponed the start of testimony due to concerns that neither commissioners nor the community had had time to review the agreement that had been reached two days before. Commissioner Michael Turnbull said the last-minute changes meant developers were unprepared and should lose their September slots, and he criticized the quality of the filing. But commissioners ultimately voted 3-1 to allow the hearings to proceed this week. The design changes will also need another review by the Historic Preservation Review Board.
to the city’s general fund. Cheh cautioned that decreasing fines through legislation could be a tricky, slow-moving process, because of the impact on city budget projections. If fines were slashed in half, for example, the District would lose more than $40 million next year. “That’s a big hole to fill,� she said. Aside from the fine issue, both Wells and Cheh said task force conversations have revealed the need for clarity and uniformity in the city’s process for establishing speed limits. Cheh said she hopes to see the D.C. Department of Transportation develop its first “written policy statement� on the process soon. And easy improvements for the cameras, Cheh said, could include increased outreach and education for drivers, and clear signage that warns of the equipment’s locations. The city works with one vendor, American Traffic Solutions, to buy and maintain its automated-enforcement equipment. Neither the police department nor the Office of Contracting and Procurement was able to provide figures for how much the city pays for the cameras and their upkeep. A report from WJLA this summer identified the speed camera on the 600 block of New York Avenue NE as the highest revenue-generating camera in the city. The camera on the 600 block of Missouri Avenue has made the most money in Northwest D.C., according to the report. City officials were unable to verify those figures this week. Cheh said she hears the most complaints about the cameras on I-295 and Porter Street NW.
Camera locations
These are the locations for the three types of speed cameras within The Current’s coverage area in Northwest D.C., listed alphabetically by street name: ■9th Street Tunnel southbound ■3rd Street Tunnel: at the Massachusetts Avenue exit northbound and the 3rd Street exit southbound ■14th Street: 5200 block southbound ■16th Street: 5400 block southbound and 7700 block northbound ■17th Street: 200 block southbound ■Arizona Avenue: 2900 block southbound ■Blair Road: 6300 block southbound ■Calvert Street: 2800 block eastbound ■Canal Road: 0.3 mile south of Arizona Avenue, both northbound and southbound ■Connecticut Avenue: 2300 block southbound and 4800 block, both northwest-bound and southeast-bound ■Florida Avenue: 100 block, both eastbound and westbound ■Foxhall Road: 3000 block southbound and 1900 block, both northbound and southbound ■Georgia Avenue: 4800 block southbound and 7600 block southbound ■Harvard Street: 1800 block northwest-bound ■K Street: 2200 block westbound ■MacArthur Boulevard: 4700 block southbound; 5000 block southbound; and 5700 block, both southbound and northbound ■Military Road: 2800 block westbound; 0.1 mile before 17th Street northeastbound; and 0.2 mile west of the 16th Street ramp southwest-bound. ■Missouri Avenue: 600 block, both northwest-bound and southeast-bound ■North Capitol Street: 3100 block southbound ■North Portal Drive: 1700 block southwest-bound ■Park Place: 3500 block southbound ■Porter Street: 2300 block, both eastbound and westbound ■Rock Creek Church Road: 300 block southwest-bound ■Sherman Avenue: 2400 block southbound ■Western Avenue: 4700 block northeast-bound — Source: Metropolitan Police Department
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