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The Department of Transportation wants to end the use of automated traffic cameras in Washington, DC
The proposal, submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget, would result in millions of dollars in lost revenue but will likely be celebrated by drivers frustrated by traffic tickets received because of the cameras, according to POLITICO.
The plan aims to ban speeding, red light and stop sign cameras across the state as part of an upcoming transportation bill that Congress wants to pass this year, the outlet reported.
According to the proposal, this measure “will prohibit the operation of automated traffic cameras in the District of Columbia.”
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The Department of Transportation wants to end the use of automated traffic cameras in Washington, DC (Getty Images / Getty Images)
DOT spokesman Nate Sizemore said in a statement to POLITICO that the agency “continually evaluates a broad set of policy options on transportation issues. Many policy options are currently under internal review.”
Since adopting red light cameras in 1999, the county has increased the use of red light and other cameras. There are now about 550 active cameras in Washington.
The Automated Safety Camera system enforces a variety of traffic violations, including unauthorized vehicles operating on bus lanes and truck-restricted roads.
Violators can face fines ranging from $100-$500, with larger fines for drivers who pass a school bus with flashing lights or driving more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit.
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The proposal would “prohibit automatic traffic camera operation in the District of Columbia.” (Getty Images / Getty Images)
Previous efforts on Capitol Hill to end the use of traffic cameras in the district have not yet become law.
The House 2026 appropriations bill would have prevented D.C. from spending money to implement automated traffic enforcement, but that legislation was not brought to the floor for a vote. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., also introduced a proposal to repeal the state’s mandate to use automated traffic enforcement systems.
“Automated law enforcement is used to generate revenue, not improve safety,” Perry said in a statement to POLITICO. “Cities like Washington, DC that rely on automatic traffic enforcement revenue to balance their budgets are proof that the policy isn’t about the safety of citizens and visitors; it’s about fleecing people without representation or due process. It’s un-American and it must end.”
The DC government says its plan is “designed to create safer roads for all road users in the District of Columbia,” but the plan also contributes significantly to the district’s revenue, POLITICO reports.
The proposal seeks to ban speed, red light and stop sign cameras throughout the county. (Ryan Collerd/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Washington generated $139.5 million from the automatic cameras in fiscal year 2023, $213.3 million in fiscal year 2024 and $267.3 million in fiscal year 2025, Eric Balliet, spokesman for the Office of DC’s Chief Financial Officer, told the media.
More than a decade ago, Mayor Muriel Bowser launched Vision Zero, an initiative to stop roadway injuries and deaths to zero, and adding traffic cameras was part of that effort.
“District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser launched Vision Zero in 2014 to promote and transform DC’s road safety efforts, and set our sights on the goal of death or serious injury on our roads. Since then, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has shifted to designing safer roads for everyone,” to learn Vision’s problems and Vision’s solutions.
