New Castle County Council approves expansion of speed camera program.
Council will use fines from speed cameras placed on McKennans Church Road and Milltown Road in April to add more cameras. The current cameras have pulled in $379,388.
The county would like to put cameras on the opposite side of the road from the first two cameras, and those living in the area of Old Capitol Trail have lobbied for a camera there.
"We were actually in the process of conducting the traffic study on Old Capitol Trail when the student was hit getting off the school bus. And we found, I don't have the specific numbers, but we found speeds very similar to those that were registered on McKenna's Church and Milltown. So that is a parameter that we have to follow. The speed study has to be conducted," said New Castle County Police Chief Col. James Leonard.
The legislation passed last week also puts $60,000 from the DelDOT Community Transportation Fund towards the speed camera program.
Council passed the legislation 11-1 with one absent.
Councilman Kevin Caneco was the lone member of council to vote against the expansion.
"I just think that we are seeing way too much cameras in all types of capacities being put around the county, whether they be speed cameras, whether they be Axon cameras, whether it be Flock cameras,” said Caneco. “Whatever they be and again, I just have my concerns about this."
Caneco adds that at this point the county doesn’t have a good analytical process to determine where cameras should be placed.
