by Jared Featherstone

Staff Writer

February 3, 2000

The New Carrollton City Council plans to have a proposal for red-light cameras ready for the next work session patterned after the that of Riverdale.

New Carrollton has been trying to determine the most efficient way to get red-light cameras at dangerous intersections in the city in an effort to reduce speeding.

Riverdale was the first municipality in Prince George's County to participate in the contract between Howard County Police and Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a company that installs and maintains red-light cameras, said Assistant City Administrative Officer Vinny Hughes.

"It's really worked out well for them," said Hughes. "They've had a big decrease in the amount of accidents in that area. They've written a lot of tickets and it seems to be working out well."

Many of the other cameras in Prince George's County were installed through a contract with the company Lockheed Martin. These contracts involve the city putting up the initial money for the cameras, but getting a large percentage of the ticket revenue.

Once installed, the cameras automatically photograph vehicles whose offenders run red lights. The information is collected by EDS, which sends the ticket to the police for approval.

The traffic offender will receive the ticket, along with a photo of the vehicle making the violation and a close-up of the license plate.

The New Carrollton City Council is sending a proposal to Prince George's County Police because the city does not have its own police force. The city uses officers contracted from the county.

Lt. Glenn Hansen of the Howard County Police has offered advice to the city council on getting the cameras installed. Throughout Howard County, the cameras were installed by EDS.

Through EDS, there would be no initial cost to the City of New Carrollton, said City Administrative Officer Mark LaTour. The company would install and maintain the cameras, but would get a percentage of the money generated by the tickets issued.

The city council is concerned about the safety of intersections such as 85th Avenue and Route 450; and routes 410 and 450. LaTour said that statistical data from 1993 showed that 37,000 cars passed through the intersection of 85th Avenue and Route 450 during one day. He also said that during a four-hour period, 12,000 cars passed through the intersection of routes 410 and 450.

Hughes said that EDS will do extensive research to determine which intersections would generate the most tickets.

"If it looks like it's not going to generate revenue, they're not going to put it in there, whether we ask them to or not," said Hughes. "They're in it to make money. That's why we pay them a percentage per ticket."

The city council is optimistic about the ability of the cameras to make the streets safer for motorists and pedestrians and their ability to bring money to the city.

"I say we move forward and investigate it to the fullest," said council member Sarah Potter. "It's a sure, good revenue source."