Montgomery County Bringing Everyone’s Favorite Red-Light Cameras To Green Lights Too

Montgomery County is upgrading its red-light cameras to also ticket drivers who speed through intersections when the signal turns green.

Read more Man Behind Grisly Holocaust Survivor Murders Finally Identified Decades Later

The Maryland county’s new “Speed on Green” program takes the same cameras already stationed at red-light intersections and switches on their ability to catch speeding vehicles during the green phase, according to WTOP. Wade Holland, the county’s Vision Zero coordinator, told the outlet the upgrade lets the county squeeze more use out of hardware it already owns. “We’ll just be basically getting more bang for our buck with our red-light cameras,” Holland said. “So, detecting red light violations during the red phase, but then detecting speeding violations during those green phases. Same fines, same rules all apply.”

The catch drivers may miss is that the green-light function is not a new violation. It is speed enforcement, plain and simple. Cameras will clock vehicles moving faster than the posted limit while the light is green, according to WTOP. The county picked two test intersections and hopes to have them running by year’s end. (RELATED: New York Will Now Force Some Drivers To Put Device In Car Or Risk Registration)

Citations start once a vehicle exceeds the limit by 12 mph, with penalties climbing as speed climbs, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard told WTOP. A state law that took effect last year replaced the old flat $40 ticket with the graduated structure, according to DC News Now. A driver who runs a red light while speeding receives only the red-light citation, Holland said.

Read more Taiwan Unveils Record Defense Budget As China Threat Grows

Stoddard told 7News the county worries most about drivers flooring it to beat a yellow. “If you need to exceed your speed limit by more than 11 miles an hour to beat the yellow light, you shouldn’t be trying to beat the yellow light,” Stoddard said. County Executive Marc Elrich, a Democrat, has said cameras lower speeds and injuries, according to DC News Now.

Not every driver buys the safety case. “I believe it’s doing more hurt than it is good,” resident Jay Grin told DC News Now. “I doubt it’s limiting the amount of accidents.”

The county will not equip all 76 red-light locations, Stoddard told WTOP. Officials still need to study where green-phase speeding happens and clear permitting first, according to 7News.

Read more Fashion Mogul Calls Luigi Mangione A ‘Trendsetter,’ Makes Offer Ahead Of Trial