What is a “Safety Corridor?”
Transportation Article 21–101 defines a “safety corridor” as a segment of highway that is identified by SHA as an area of high risk to vulnerable road users in
Maryland’s Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Safety Assessment that is required by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under 23 U.S.C. 148.
What is the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment?
Maryland’s Vulnerable Road User (VRU) Safety Assessment is a data-driven report that identifies the segments of state and local highways that are of the highest risk for vulnerable road users across the state. The Assessment is informed by five years of crash data and goes through a public consultation process. It is reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and published publicly every five years in conjunction with the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). Each State Department of Transportation is required to publish a VRU Safety Assessment as required by the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Where does the revenue from speed cameras on safety corridors go?
Transportation Article 12–118 requires that all civil fines collected through SHA’s use of speed cameras on safety corridors be distributed back to SHA to cover the costs of implementing and administering the camera program. Any revenues accrued in excess of the program’s costs are distributed to the state’s Transportation Trust Fund and are used solely for:
- Highway safety purposes (projects focused on vulnerable road user safety, including SHA’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, Vulnerable Road User, Quick Build and District Safety projects)
- SHA System Preservation (projects oriented toward preserving the existing state highway network, including safety improvements, resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation, traffic control and other similar improvements)
If a speed camera is installed on a safety corridor by a county or municipality (rather than SHA), revenues generated from the camera are distributed to that local jurisdiction. State law requires that any excess revenues received by a local jurisdiction be spent solely for public safety purposes, including pedestrian or highway safety programs.
The VRU Safety Assessment includes both state and local roads. Will SHA be installing and operating speed cameras on local roads?
SHA will not install speed cameras on local roads. SHA is only authorized to install speed cameras on safety corridors located on state roads that are owned and maintained by SHA (i.e., the state’s non-tolled, numbered highways).
What qualifies local jurisdictions to operate speed cameras on safety corridors?
Under Transportation Article 21-809, a speed camera may not be used by a county or municipality unless its use is authorized by the governing body of the county or municipality through a local ordinance or resolution. Counties and municipalities that have the local enabling law needed to utilize speed cameras in their jurisdiction are authorized to place and operate speed cameras on safety corridors, which include eligible State and local roads. If a local jurisdiction wishes to place a speed camera on a safety corridor located on a state road, the local jurisdiction must apply to SHA for the appropriate permit before the camera can be installed.
If a local jurisdiction places a speed camera on a safety corridor located on a local road under their jurisdiction, no permit from SHA is required.
What if a local jurisdiction does not have the authority to operate speed cameras on safety corridors?
Under Transportation Article 21-810.1, SHA has the authority to operate speed cameras on safety corridors. If a local jurisdiction wants a camera installed in a specific safety corridor but the jurisdiction does not have the local ordinance needed to operate a camera of its own, SHA respectfully requests that the jurisdiction provide SHA with a letter of support detailing the corridor(s) it would like to see cameras installed.
The letter of support can be submitted to the local jurisdiction’s respective SHA District Office for review and consideration. ASE camera deployment will be considered based on available camera capacity.
What coordination will SHA do with a local jurisdiction before installing a speed camera on a safety corridor?
Under Transportation Article 21-810.1, SHA has the authority to operate speed cameras on safety corridors. SHA will only operate speed cameras on safety corridors that are owned and maintained by SHA. When the appropriate location for camera operation is identified along a safety corridor, the respective SHA District Office will convene a stakeholder meeting to provide information to the local jurisdiction regarding the selected location, speed and safety data, and schedule for installation and operation.
How will SHA provide public notice when a speed camera is installed on a safety corridor?
SHA will provide public notice through a variety of communications mechanisms prior to the operation of speed cameras on safety corridors that are operated by SHA, including:
- Public notice on the roads.maryland.gov website and related webpages
- Social media posting prior to the start of camera operation
- Notice to appropriate State and local elected officials
- Dissemination to appropriate news media
For violations captured by speed cameras operated by SHA, in accordance with the requirements of Transportation Article 21-810.1, SHA will mail a warning notice in lieu of a citation for the first 30 days that cameras are in operation.