More than 11,000 stop-sign camera citations were issued during the first month of Greenbelt’s new stop-sign camera enforcement, generating more than $73,000 in paid fines. The program has drawn mixed reactions from residents, particularly over the $40 fines issued to drivers who fail to come to a complete stop.
The city partnered with Obvio, which uses advanced AI models to measure a vehicle’s speed when passing through an intersection. Although state law requires a full stop, the city employs a 4 mph threshold before issuing violations, along with a review by a city employee. There is no time requirement for how long a vehicle must be stopped; instead, a citation is issued if a vehicle travels through the stop sign at four or more miles per hour.
During May, Greenbelt issued 11,066 citations, according to the city’s financial report. Drivers paid 1,835 stop-sign camera citations so far, generating $73,400 in fines, of which $37,434 was distributed to the City of Greenbelt. For each citation, $8.50 is returned to Obvio, along with $1,000 per month for each active camera. Despite the money collected in fines, the program still had $79,500 in unrecovered costs at the end of May, due partly to the costs of the warning letters the city issued for the month of April.
The city conducted a warning phase throughout the month of April prior to the official rollout. During this phase, vehicles that violated stop signs received only warning letters in the mail instead of fines. The 1,873 warning letters sent during this period cost the city $9,365. The effort was capped at 2,000 warning letters because the city manager’s spending authority is limited to $10,000 by council and the city charter. The program began in the negative because of the cost of sending those warning letters.
Speaking to the News Review at the end of June, City Manager Josué Salmerón emphasized that the program was still operating in a deficit as they wait for additional payment revenue to come in. “In short, while payment revenue has begun to come in, the program remains financially behind at this stage because of the upfront warning-letter costs, monthly equipment costs and violation processing costs incurred before all citation payments have been received.”
Salmerón also told the News Review that the city had not chosen the cheapest option for camera enforcement, selecting Obvio for its robust protections against data sharing. The traffic data gathered by the cameras remains the property of the city and will not be shared with other agencies or corporations.
Camera Locations
The cameras have been implemented at the following intersections: Southway at Ridge Road, Ridge Road at Gardenway, Ridge Road at Laurel Hill Road, Cherrywood Lane at Breezewood Drive, Springhill Drive at Edmonston Road and Springhill Drive at Cherrywood Lane.
Residents who live near these intersections have been sharing their experiences with the cameras over social media.
Residents’ Responses
Lauren Silberman, a resident of Greenbelt, has not received a fine in Greenbelt, but has received similar fines in Glenarden. Silberman noted that she resides in a neighborhood full of children and is a mother herself, and has had concerns in the past about cars speeding by quickly. “I think anything that can help make this area safer for kids, for dog walkers, for bicyclists is a good thing,” she said.
When she first received the citation, Silberman shared a sentiment common among many residents: that the ticket was unfair and unwarranted. However, a driver who has received a citation can view a recording of the incident on www.letsdrivesafer.com before paying the fine. According to residents’ experiences, this feature has helped drivers better understand the violation and reconsider their driving habits. After watching the video, Silberman said that she accepted that the citation was justified and has since changed her driving behaviors to come to a complete stop at stop signs. “It wasn’t until I watched the video that I realized that the reality was not what I thought it was,” Silberman said.
Despite the warning period through the month of April, some residents said they did not feel adequately informed. Andy Zmidzinski, another Greenbelt resident, was a recipient of a $40 fine, along with some of his neighbors. He agreed that blowing through stop signs is an issue he has witnessed in Greenbelt; however, he said that he did not receive enough of a warning before the cameras were installed.
“I’ve actually gone to city council twice and raised this issue, saying that … I didn’t have enough details about what was happening here,” he said. Zmidzinski said that the online resources the city council directed him to use to learn more about the program were inaccessible to residents his age.
Dr. Clayton McCarl of the McCarl Dental Group on Ridge Road says their office has taken to warning patients about the cameras in the area when they send appointment messages. Several patients had complained after receiving tickets.
Lisa Anderson, a Greenbelt resident, shared her concerns via Facebook about the fine she received. However, after reviewing the video footage, she said her opinion of the cameras shifted. “I flipped from being against the stop sign camera to for it,” she said.
Still, questions remain among some residents about how the city is using the revenue generated by the program. The city is still awaiting payment on 9,231 citations for May, representing a potential $369,240 in additional fine revenue, split between the city and Obvio.
Salmerón says the initiative is about safety, not generating revenue.
“I think a lot of people view this as a cash grab, and I’m not entirely sure it isn’t,” Silberman said. “But I’m hoping that if it is, it is one that is changing safety for the better.”
Charlotte Ormond is a University of Maryland student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism interning with the Greenbelt News Review.
