Montgomery County took an extra step in driver safety by adding numerous speed cameras and no turn on red signs. These new law enforcement actions took effect on Oct. 1 to limit excessive speeding and accidents. The base fine for speeding has also increased to $40 up from around $25.
“I am proud to work with Montgomery County leadership and my county colleagues in the General Assembly to ensure we can use proven safety tools where they are most needed,” District 18 Delegate Jared Solomon said in an article by the Montgomery County Department of Police.
One hundred forty new speeding cameras and 76 red light cameras have been installed around Montgomery County aiming to reduce crashes and save lives. The cameras will be placed in both new locations and places where cameras are already present, particularly where there have been many accidents in the past. Notably, a recent accident occurred where a 16year old was killed on University Boulevard in Kensington late at night by a car.
New no turn on red signs have also been placed all over Rockville, Bethesda and Kensington. A popular route for WJ students to leave is near Democracy and Old Georgetown Road, where there is now a new ‘no turn on red’ sign. This causes a back up in cars and creates more traffic which isn’t ideal at the end of the school day. The push for more signs is in order to maintain better road safety and protect citizens in the county.
“They’re annoying because it creates more traffic and I think it can result in more reckless driving,” senior Evie Avillo said. “It will definitely cause more reckless driving due to people trying to make a green light because they don’t want to wait.”
Speed cameras are now being reactivated in specific locations such as the one across the WJ stadium. Although speed cameras locations aren’t released yet, the county has signed a contract that covers the safety with the new protocols, in hopes to reduce accidents. Navigation apps such as Waze and Google maps will be a source of identifying where the cameras are placed, once they are activated. Multiple students have expressed their opinion on issues regarding the new policies.
Although some students might agree, others differ.
“I don’t agree with the new policies and we don’t need extra speeding cameras because the pricing is so high,” junior Brooke Bush said.
