Speeding still dropping at Minneapolis speed camera sites
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Minneapolis' new traffic enforcement cameras have cut speeding rates in half since they began issuing tickets at five intersections in November, city officials will tell the City Council on Tuesday.
Why it matters: That's an improvement on the already-sharp drop in speeding city officials noticed after turning on the cameras in October — when they were only issuing warnings.
- City officials call the data a promising sign for a pilot program aimed at making five dangerous intersections safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers.
The big picture: The cameras recorded 13,000 fewer drivers going 10 mph or more over the limit in December — a 51% drop from October, according to a new city report on the initiative's first three months.
- Over those three months, the city issued 29,504 warnings — one for every first-time offender.
- The cameras issued 4,325 tickets, most of them $40 fines, during that time period.
By the numbers: Warnings and tickets decreased sharply at all five intersections, ranging from a 41% drop at Chicago and Franklin to nearly 60% at 18th and Central in northeast Minneapolis.
The city's biggest lead-foots — at least according to the cameras — were at 46th and Nicollet in south Minneapolis.
- In October, 8,400 drivers went at least 10 mph over the limit there.
- After three months, that number dropped to about 4,500. (The intersection still has the highest rate of speeding of any in the pilot.)
Between the lines: The findings are no surprise to traffic control experts, who point to more than a dozen studies showing speed cameras tend to reduce speeding and crashes.
- Automated enforcement also offers relief to a short-staffed police department that has written few traffic tickets in recent years.
What we're watching: The city expects to add red light cameras to the pilot later this year, the report said.