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The Indianapolis Department of Transportation said in a Friday news release that it has issued more than 25,000 warnings in the first month of a camera-enforced speed zone on Indianapolis’ northeast side.
After several months of “pre-enforcement” warnings, enforcement of the Safe Zone worksite speed control pilot program began on May 5 in the Clear Path project at Interstates 465 and 69.
According to the agency, in late May, incidence of excessive speeds was down an average of 75%.
“It’s encouraging to see drivers slowing down in this highly traveled area,” Secretary of Transportation and Infrastructure Matt Ubelhor said in a written statement. “Speeding through work zones provides very minimal time savings, and no one’s life is worth that couple of minutes–or less.”
When driving through Clear Path, the Safe Zones system documents vehicle speeds using truck-mounted speed timing devices as they pass through work zones. When a vehicle is traveling 11 mph or more than the posted speed limit of 45 mph, the system captures an image of the vehicle’s rear license plate.
The Department of Transportation said that workers must be present at the time of a violation for it to be valid. Signs are posted to notify drivers that speeds are photo-monitored.
During the pre-enforcement phase from January 1 to May 5, violators of Safe Zones received speed warnings as a courtesy. Over that time, the agency said it issued more than 90,000 such notices.
Now that the enforcement phase has begun, courtesy notices are no longer. Instead, violators have begun receiving fines in the mail.
First-time violators receive a zero-fine warning, followed by a $75 civil fine for a second violation and a $150 civil fine for third and subsequent violations.
“Safe Zones is not designed to be a ‘gotcha’-type program,” Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, said in a news release. “It takes all of us to improve safety in construction zones or otherwise. Speeding puts everyone, drivers and passengers included, at risk of injury or even death.”
Additional Safe Zones sites, to be announced later this summer, will begin with immediate enforcement.
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I was one of those pre-enforcement notifications. Now I go through the I-69/I-465 construction zone under the enforceable speed limit and literally I am passed by every single vehicle. Everyone! I hope the state releases monthly revenues from fines, number of tickets and warnings to see what the long-term trends are. People won’t continue to speed through and just throw the tickets mailed to their homes in the trash, will they? Curious minds want to know. But I learned my lesson.
Photo enforced speed zones should not be limited to constructions zones, but expanded to roads and street where speeding is known to regularly exist. Since police cannot be everywhere to issue tickets, let the cameras do the work. Drivers have no legal right to privacy when speeding on public roads. More lives can be saved. And the revenue gained is desperately needed by local jurisdictions. And while we’re at it, why not have cameras at intersections to catch the countless red light runners?.
The revenue will never go to the locals, or heck even infrastructure. The state will keep all the revenue so they can issue some more tax cuts. But they will get hooked on the revenue and roll cameras out everywhere in 5 years.
Why do I get the feeling that similar to Covid and mask wearing, the opinions on this issue would split exactly along political party lines?
Only you made it political.
Lighten up Francis. It’s all about revenue and coming whether we like it or not so it doesn’t matter, but I’ll bet I’m right. When I see comments saying speeders have no right to privacy and we need even more cameras writing automated tickets, from someone I am pretty sure is a hard left lean, it’s an interesting thought
6 years ago, if I had said “hey, there is going to be a bizarre virus that will split people exactly along party lines” you probably would have had the same response then too.
I disagree. I lean left but don’t like the idea of Big Brother watching me drive. It’s not far from there to “tattletale” electronics inside my car.
Then we become like China with its persistent and invasive monitoring.
I drove through there Saturday going about 5 miles over the speed limit and MANY cars flew past me on both sides of my vehicle like I was sitting still. Glad they’ll be getting tickets.