Work Zone Speed Cameras To Begin Testing In Lower Bucks County

Work zone speed cameras being tested in Lower Bucks County.

The Route 1 and Pennsylvania Turnpike work zone in Bensalem are among the first locations in the state where the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE) program will be piloted as part of a 60-day pre-enforcement period that is required by law.

The speed camera system will use a vehicle-mounted apparatus to detect and record motorists exceeding posted work zone speeds by 11 miles per hour or more using electronic speed timing devices. In fall, PennDOT displayed to the media a white Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with speed cameras.

The speed camera systems will only be operational when work zones are active and crews are on site.

Official enforcement begins on March 4, PennDOT and Pennsylvania Turnpike officials announced on Monday.

Starting on March 4, registered vehicle owners will receive a warning letter for a first offense, a violation notice and $75 fine for a second offense, and a violation notice and $150 fine for third and subsequent offenses. These violations are civil penalties only; no points will be assessed to driver’s licenses, according to PennDOT.

The pre-enforcement period in Lower Bucks County will allow the speed camera system to be tested.

“It’s important to remember that the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program isn’t about issuing violations, it’s about saving lives,” Acting PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a statement. “The goal is to encourage motorists to slow down in work zones, change their behavior, and ultimately improve safety for both motorists and workers.”

PennDOT said there was 1,804 work zone crashes in Pennsylvania, which resulted in 23 fatalities, in 2018. Since 1970, the transportation agency has lost 89 employees on highways and the Pennsylvania Turnpike has had 45 works killed since 1945.

To the south, Maryland started putting speed cameras in work zones in 2015. Data from that state indicates work zone speed violations dropped and deaths in work zones dropped from six in 2015 to one in 2016 once the new monitoring system went into place.

PennDOT plans to place speed camera locations online.

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