Credit: PA Internet News Service
After complaints poured into two state represenatives whose districts cover Route 1, PennDOT has agreed to reimburse motorists fined by the automated speed cameras along the Route 1 construction zone.
In a joint statement, State Rep. Frank Farry, of Langhorne Borough, and State Rep. K.C. Tomlinson, of Bensalem Township, both Republicans, said fines paid by drivers will be returned by the state and any warnings will be rescinded.
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Starting at the end of 2021, the state representatives and this news organization began hearing from motorists who said they were receiving warnings and tickets related to the state’s Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement efforts on busy Route 1 in Bensalem Township.
A reader emailed LevittownNow.com earlier this month about the issue. They said received fines and only received non-monetary warning notices after the fine notice was mailed.
“It’s a load of crap. We got a fine and never got the warning letters until a day after the fine showed up in my mail. If I knew we were speeding in the work zone, I would have been more cautious. It’s BS,” one driver alerted LevittownNow.com in a recent email.
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The driver who sent the email did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the fines being dropped.
“After hearing from the residents, the Representatives’ offices discovered that inappropriate signage was used on the project, as PennDOT mistakenly calibrated the cameras at the incorrect speed limit. The Representatives both worked with PennDOT who investigated the claims,” Farry and Tomlinson’s offices said.
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Farry said PennDOT found out some people who received warnings and violations were actually going below the 11 mph over the speed limit established in law.
PennDOT will begin issuing letters alerting drivers that they will be rescinding warnings and wiping and reimbursing tickets with fines, the state representatives said.
The two lawmakers said they “appreciate PennDOT’s effort to examine and solve this issue in an appropriate and timely manner.”
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The massive Route 1 overhaul project that is currently underway in Bensalem Township and Middletown Township will continue to use Automated Licensing Systems after they have been adjusted, PennDOT officials told the state representatives.
The state approved use of Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement in construction areas in 2019. They began to roll out in 2020.
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Violations can cost $75 and $150 and are civil penalties, which means no points will be assessed on a driver’s license.
The Route 1 and Pennsylvania Turnpike work zone was among the first test locations in 2020 in the state for the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program.
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