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The Mendota Heights speed camera on Delaware Avenue is done for the season and the results are in: 58 citations went out and nearly 1,700 warnings. The camera seemed to reduce speeding by 62%.
For Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly McCarthy it’s about getting creative: “What are ways to get people to slow down that aren’t crazy punitive or just pulling people over?”
- What: Mendota Heights is part of a two-city pilot program for the state testing speed cameras. This was the second year the camera was deployed.
- Where: The camera was located on the 1300 block of southbound Delaware Avenue. Now it’s been removed for the winter (it came down a couple weeks early due to a maintenance issue).
- When: The camera went up this summer with citations starting in late August.
How’s it work: The camera flags vehicles traveling more than 10 mph over the speed limit (so at least 41 mph in this 30-mph zone). The first infraction triggers a written warning mailed to the vehicle’s owner. The second triggers a citation with a $40 ticket (or $80 if they’re doing more than 20 mph over). Drivers can also watch a 30-minute educational video and have their first citation dismissed.
But what about: Note that the speed camera is not an automatic license plate reader, it does not track every vehicle, there is no artificial intelligence (AI) involved in the process, no data is shared with any other agency, and it is not a source of revenue for the police department (“We lose money on this,” McCarthy said).
Results
Here’s a look at the data McCarthy shared:
| Phase | Days | Cars | Over 41 mph | Over 51 mph | Warnings | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Data only | 33 | 70,426 | 3,109 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Phase 2: Warnings only | 38 | 87,105 | 1,938 | 22 | 1,056 | 0 |
| Phase 3: Warnings and citations | 46 | 100,299 | 1,665 | 7 | 639 | 58 |
Speeding dropped 62% over the camera’s usage, based on the percentage of total cars speeding (4.41% speeders in phase 1 down to 1.66% speeders in phase 3).
“I’m pleased,” said McCarthy. “It did make an impact. But the sample size is so small it’s hard to make bold statements.” A lot of factors come into play, including gas prices. It’s also impossible to tell if people immediately started speeding again when the camera came down.
“But for the people who lived there, they were very happy,” said McCarthy.
Surprise: Due to the hands-on nature of the program, McCarthy could see patterns and actually reach out to repeat offenders. “I called quite a few,” she said. In one case, the car was still in the parents’ name and their adult child was doing the speeding. They transferred the title and the speeding stopped.
- “That’s one of the benefits of not doing this with a third party,” McCarthy said. “We’re looking at every one, and we can make adjustments.”
What’s next: McCarthy will host a community meeting this fall to share data, answer questions, and get input on where the speed camera should go next year.
- “Hopefully we got people thinking about safety for the construction workers who will be out there next year,” McCarthy said referring to the planned reconstruction of Delaware Avenue.
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