Highway construction industry wants work zone cameras to enforce speed limits

Representatives of the highway construction industry told a joint hearing of the state Senate and House transportation committees on Tuesday that they would like police to use cameras to enforce the speed limit in work zones.

Robert Latham, executive vice president of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors, told legislators that a similar program in Maryland has resulted in a significant reduction in work zone speeding. When the "automated enforcement program" began five years ago, he explained, 7 percent of vehicles traveled through work zones at more than 12 mph above the posted speed limit. Today that number is down to 1 percent, he said.

Latham said that because the majority of highway work involves existing infrastructure, most projects remain open to traffic, often leading to closing highway shoulders and narrowing the flow of traffic. Speeding and distracted drivers present "an elevated threat to the safety of construction workers as well as themselves," he said.

"Any highway construction worker who has been on the job for just a few hours can see and feel firsthand the potential danger that exists when road construction takes place while traffic is maintained," Latham offered.

He added that in the past five years there were 10,586 crashes and 128 fatalities in Pennsylvania's work zones, according to PennDOT.

Latham went on to say that a measure currently under consideration, Senate Bill 840 (sponsored by Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill), drew heavily from Maryland's approach. He noted, however, that the bill would allow police to use work-zone cameras only when workers are on-site, and that APC believes automated enforcement should be used regardless of their presence. He explained that 85 percent of work-zone fatalities involve travelers, not construction workers, and occur whether workers are present or not. He also pointed out that workers are not always immediately visible to drivers. "Why make it the driver's responsibility to make the determination?" he asked.

"As Maryland's experience demonstrates, automated enforcement can achieve a positive change in drivers' behavior," he said.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal