Washington County adds speed cameras along Md. 67. All to know
The Washington County Sheriff's Office has announced that two new speed cameras are being activated Wednesday for enforcement along Md. 67 in the south end of the county.
Placement of the speed cameras on both sides of Md. 67, also known as Rohrersville Road, was driven by community concern about speed in the area of Pleasant Valley Elementary School and residents' concerns about serious crashes that occurred in that area, said Sgt. Carly Hose, spokesperson for the sheriff's office.
It also was driven by a speed study that was done last year, Hose wrote in an email. The speed study is part of the process that must be done before a speed camera can be set up at a new site.
Speed cameras also, by state law, must be within a certain distance of a school. Except for unusual situations and "justified by a traffic engineering study," Automated Speed Enforcement School Zones are not to exceed 500 feet approaching or beyond a school or the school activity, according to the State Highway Administration's website. School activity can include a school crossing.
The state also allows speed cameras in highway work zones.
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New speed cameras come after residents' complaints
Last June, more than 100 people attended a traffic safety listening and informational meeting Washington County government hosted at Brownsville Church of the Brethren south of Rohrersville. The meeting was held to give community members the chance to lodge complaints about hazardous driving conditions along Md. 67.
Md. 67 is a rural two-lane state highway and main route that connects Boonsboro to the southern tip of Washington County. Pleasant Valley Elementary is on a hill above the southern stretch of the highway.
Residents at the meeting complained about fast and reckless driving, coupled with minimal enforcement, making the area hazardous for children and other drivers.
At that meeting, an assistant district engineer for traffic for the State Highway Administration said that because the school is not directly along the road and most students commute to school, officials weren't permitted to drastically reduce the speed limit or place speed cameras in that area.
Asked Tuesday how the new cameras could then be placed along Md. 67, a State Highway spokesperson responded via email.
"Historically, the use of automated enforcement has been a strictly regulated practice with fairly narrow parameters as a matter of policy," Shantee Felix wrote. "Incidents across the State over the past year have prompted many stakeholders to revisit whether there are safety improvements that could be gained by expanding the use (and parameters) of automated enforcement."
The Washington County Sheriff's Office applied for the school zone cameras along Md. 67 and the State Highway Administration approved the request, Felix wrote.
"No change in posted speed limit will be made as part of the installation of automated enforcement," she wrote.
The new cameras are in the 1700 block of Rohrersville Road, the block that includes the driveway entrance to the school.
The goal of the cameras is to reduce speeding offenses and crashes in the school zone and provide a deterrent to potential future violators, according to a sheriff's office news release about the new cameras.
This becomes the seventh site for automated speed enforcement cameras the sheriff's office has in the county. Hagerstown, Smithsburg and Hancock also have cameras.
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What did the speed study find in southern Washington County?
The speed study was conducted in the 1700 block from March 7-8 last year. That was a Tuesday and Wednesday.
The speed limit in that area is 55 mph.
On average, 2,025 vehicles per day traveled north and 1,792 went south during school hours, which were considered to be 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
An average of 85 northbound vehicles a day exceeded the speed limit by at least 12 mph, while an average of 61 southbound vehicles a day exceeded that threshold.
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How does the automated speed enforcement camera system work?
The 12 mph threshold and hours of the study are relevant to the automated speed camera program.
The automated speed cameras in designated school zones are active from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.
Violators must exceed 12 mph over the posted speed limit to trigger the camera and have a citation issued, according to the sheriff's office release.
That citation results in a $40 fine, but no points on the driver's license. The citations are issued to the vehicle's registered owner.
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Where are the other automated speed cameras in Washington County?
The other automated speed cameras the sheriff's office oversees in school zones are:
In the 18000 block of Maugans Avenue near Maugansville Elementary School
In the 13500 block of Marsh Pike and the 19400 block of Longmeadow Road near Paramount Elementary School
In the 1200 block of Mount Aetna Road and the 1300 block of Yale Drive near Eastern Elementary School and Ruth Ann Monroe Primary School.
In the 12600 block of National Pike (U.S. 40) near Clear Spring Elementary School
In the 17500 block of Shepherdstown Pike (Md. 34) near Sharpsburg Elementary School
In the 17000 block of Lappans Road (Md. 68) near Fountain Rock Elementary School
According to Hagerstown Police and its annual report to the state, the automated speed cameras in city school zones are:
In the 400 block of South Potomac Street and along East Memorial Boulevard near Bester Elementary School
In the 1000 block of southbound South Potomac Street and the 1200 block of northbound South Potomac Street (Md. 65) near Emma K. Doub Elementary School, E. Russell Hicks Middle School and South Hagerstown High School
In the 1300 block of Marshall Street near Marshall Street School and Western Heights Middle School
In the 1300 block of Salem Avenue (Md. 58) near Salem Avenue Elementary School
Along westbound Hagers Crossing Drive near Jonathan Hager Elementary School
Along Pennsylvania Avenue (U.S. 11) near North Hagerstown High School
Along Northern Avenue near Fountaindale Elementary School and Northern Middle School
Smithsburg Police Department has speed cameras along the 100 block of North Main Street near Smithsburg's elementary, middle and high schools, according to the 2023 annual report to the state.
Hancock Police Department has speed cameras along West Main Street near Hancock Elementary School, according to its 2023 annual report.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County adds speed cameras along Md. 67. All to know.
