Howard County Council Approves Speed Cameras

Speed cameras will be coming to Howard County this fall, according to a report from The Baltimore Sun. 

The Howard County Council voted 4-1 Monday to approve a program that would allow up to eight cameras to operate in school zones, according to the Sun’s report. The lone holdout on the council was its sole Republican, Greg Fox.

Fox, who has questioned the effectiveness of speed camera programs, acknowledged before voting that “nearly everyone believes we have road safety issues.” However, he said, the dispute arises over how to address them.

The program has strong support from County Executive Ken Ulman and Police Chief William McMahon.

McMahon has said police plan to initiate the program with just two cameras mounted in mobile vans this fall, and Ulman has included more than $900,000 in his budget proposal to launch the program this fall.

Howard County was the first jurisdiction in the state to institute a red light program. It follows Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, the state government, Laurel and Annapolis in speed camera use, which was authorized by state law in 2009, according to the Sun.