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New Carrollton police expect the number of speeding citations issued in November to decline as drivers become more aware of the city's cameras.

The city began its citation period Nov. 1 after a 30-day warning period in October. There were 7,653 citations issued for a camera posted at the intersection of Good Luck Road and Cathedral Avenue, and 6,608 issued at the intersection of Riverdale Road and Lamont Drive, said Capt. David Ladd.

Speed camera citations are $40 for drivers going 12 mph or more above a posted speed limit, according to Maryland law.

One of highest speeds in November was a vehicle posting 69 mph in a 30 mph zone on Good Luck Road, Ladd said. During the October warning period, a vehicle was spotted going 60 mph in a 25 mph zone on Westbrook Drive, Chief David G. Rice said previously.

Resident reaction to the cameras has been mixed, Ladd said.

"It varies individually from person to person, from apologetic when they're paying their fine to argumentative," Ladd said.

The five designated school zones where cameras can go are: Carrollton Parkway from Longbranch Drive to 85th Place; Good Luck Road from Auburn Road to the Interstate 495 overpass; Lamont Drive from Riverdale Road to Good Luck Road; Riverdale Road from Lamont Drive to Mahoney Drive; and Westbrook Drive from Legation Road to Lamont Drive.

The cameras are mobile and can be moved to different intersections, Ladd said.

Statistics for how much revenue was generated for the citations are not yet available because some of the drivers may have to go to court and some payments might come late, particularly if a driver is out of state, Ladd said. If a state's motor vehicle administration does not accept a notice from New Carrollton police, then they will forward their information to a collection company, he said.

Councilwoman June Garrett said she has noticed a decrease in people speeding on residential streets that do not have cameras.

"Westbrook [Drive] is a lot better," Garrett said. "They stop at the stop signs. They go according to the speed limit. Before then, they were just zooming up and down the street."

Resident Carolyn Palmer said cameras are necessary on Lamont Drive because drivers use the street as a shortcut from Good Luck Road to Riverdale Road. However, she said she does not see the need for cameras on any residential street beyond Lamont.

Palmer, who has noticed the camera on Riverdale Road, said the camera presence is enough to slow people down, regardless of whether a picture is snapped.

"If you're coming down the hill toward 450 on Riverdale Road, people are on their brakes," Palmer said.

E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.