Two new speed cameras, which will be activated on Monday, have been installed in Berlin to catch and fine drivers traveling over the limits on Flower Street and Seahawk Road.
A new speed camera is pictured on Flower Street.
Staff photo / Bayside Gazette
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
Two new speed cameras, which will be activated on Monday, have been installed in Berlin to catch and fine whizzing drivers.
One device is on the 10,000 block of Flower Street behind Stephen Decatur Middle School, while the other was placed on Seahawk Road. The installation comes after the first speed camera in the area, also on Flower Street, went live on May 28.
Each apparatus has two camera heads, for a total of six among the three locations.
“It captures both directions,” Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing noted.
The police chief said that the goal of the technology is to enforce the speed limit, 25 mph, while officers are not physically present. Drivers that exceed 36 mph face a $40 fine. The speed camera vendor, Red Speed, is responsible for mailing the citations.
Downing told the Town Council in May that Berlin would receive $26 of each $40 fee. Red Speed will collect the rest.
According to Downing, from May 28 to June 30, the initially installed device captured 937 violations. He noted that this figure refers to how many vehicles drove at least 12 mph over the posted limit. As this includes cop cars, fire trucks, and ambulances, not all recorded speeders received citations.
Of the violations that did result in fines, just under 200 individuals have paid as of Monday, July 29. The police chief said that the department does not expect everyone to settle their tickets, as violation payment from speed cameras often lags. Still, he is optimistic that the technology will persuade reckless drivers to ease off their gas pedals.
“We understand that folks have to get citations before they decide to slow down,” Downing said. “Some people need multiple citations.”
The department has found that drivers often exceeded 50 mph down Flower Street. The posted limit is 25 mph.
“We know that speeds were reckless in nature,” the police chief said. “It shows that the cameras were needed.”
Downing mentioned that most municipalities, including Salisbury and Pocomoke, have implemented the speed camera technology with “great success.” The department is hopeful Berlin will reap similar safety benefits.
The officer added that the speed limit adjustment from 30 mph to 25 mph on the entirety of Flower Street will also help protect the community. The modification to lower the Berlin-operated stretch was made following the motion’s passage at the July 8 meeting of the Mayor and Council. The county-owned strip’s maximum, west of Stephen Decatur Middle School, was decreased later that month.
“This is a stretch with a lot of volume from the schools, the nearby residential community, and the dump,” he said. “There is also no sidewalk. We know that many folks end up on that road, whether it be runners, walkers, or school buses, so we needed to slow that speed down.”