8 Stop-Sign Cameras Net More Than 120,000 Citations So Far in 2022 – NBC4 Washington

2022-10-09 10:56:53 By : Ms. Cindy Kong

New numbers obtained by the News4 I-Team show how many drivers are being cited at stop sign cameras in the District – a hot button issue the I-Team has covered for years.

All agree everyone should be stopping but questions remain on where those cameras are located and if they're fair.

At one stretch of Blagden Avenue NW, complaints about the stop sign camera roll just as much as the traffic does.

"I always make a stop,” said driver Lily Rowny.

As she talked to News4, a number of others approached about their citations, including one guy in a truck who shouted, "I had to appeal it all the way to the top and won," as he drove by.

The I-Team has documented the chorus of complaints about stop sign cameras for almost two years. No one the I-Team talked to said drivers should be allowed to roll through a stop sign.

But Rowny, who recently received three stop-sign camera tickets on Blagden, thinks something is off.

Reporter Adam Tuss and the News4 team are covering you down on the roads and in transit.

"You know, it’s fine when it's actually catching people who are not following the law, but if they're stopping, you know, it's they shouldn't be getting tickets,” she said.

Right now, the city has eight stop-sign cameras around the District.

Through a public records request, the I-Team found the cameras already issued 120,671 citations through early September. That totals at least $12 million, not counting fines that might have increased after not being paid.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4D Vice Chair Jonathan Nobil said stop-sign cameras are a topic he often hears about.

"As ANC commissioner, it’s been one of the biggest issues that we’ve dealt with,” he said.

Nobil’s district includes a stop-sign camera on Kansas Avenue NW that has generated more than 11,000 citations this year.

"I don't think stops on cameras are a wise policy, candidly,” Nobil said. “Or if we're going to do that, then we should apply them evenly across the city, and there should be much more transparency about why these locations were selected and what the ultimate goal is."

The I-Team found four of the stop-sign cameras are in Ward 4. The D.C. Department of Transportation said it picks camera locations based on traffic safety assessments and the cameras could be used for “traffic calming.” An agency spokesperson also said, “All stop-sign camera detection systems are calibrated and tested by a third-party organization for accuracy yearly. The equipment is reviewed daily for performance, which includes reviewing images for clarity as well as reviewing video that confirms that the vehicle did not come to a complete stop.”

"At the end of the day, automated enforcement has to have people's confidence that it works so that it is about safety, not about just trying to get revenue," said D.C. Council member Charles Allen.

He sits on the District’s Transportation and Environment Committee and said the sheer number of tickets point to the fact that some drivers aren’t stopping completely. But he would welcome a review by DDOT.

"When they see that a speed camera, or a stop sign, is just writing ticket after ticket after ticket, that should be a sign to DDOT that something is wrong. It’s either designed wrong, it’s not being implemented correctly,” said Allen.

"I've tried to fight for those tickets, and they've just said, ‘Well, you  didn't stop,’" said Rowny.

Drivers can review the images and video attached to the citation on a public website, according to DDOT. Rowny said there needs to be more education about what exactly the stop-sign cameras require to avoid a ticket.

Regulations say drivers have to make a complete stop before the white line or crosswalk. If there's no line, drivers have to stop before the posted sign.

DDOT Responds to News4 Questions About Stop-Sign Cameras

Reported by Adam Tuss, produced by Rick Yarborough, shot by Steve Jones and edited by Jeff Piper.