New speed cameras are being installed along Indian Head Highway

[David]

New speed cameras are being installed along Indian Head Highway.

Prince George’s County police have identified six primary zones where the cameras will operate on a rotating basis starting June 1. The new law will permit three cameras along the 13-mile stretch of the road, from the Beltway to the Charles County line.

New speed cameras are being installed along Indian Head Highway

New speed cameras are being installed along Indian Head Highway. Prince George’s County police have identified six primary zones where the cameras will operate on a rotating basis starting June 1. The new law will permit three cameras along the 13-mile stretch of the road, from the Beltway to...

wjla.com

There is a video report you need to watch to get all of the details.

I guess the Speed Camera installed in Oct 2018 didn't do the job:

Speed camera ticketing begins for often deadly stretch of Indian Head Highway

Speed camera ticketing begins for often deadly stretch of Indian Head Highway

Speed camera ticketing is beginning in Prince George’s County for a stretch of Indian Head Highway that has resulted in more than 50 crash-related fatalities in the past decade. Officials held a ceremony for its debut Wednesday. The speed camera will operate 24 hours a day and seven days a week...

wjla.com

What is the speed limit on that road? 55? and people drive as fast as what? 70+? So, now they're going to try and enforce 55? How about some common sense like making a practical speed limit like say 60? This is 2019 and cars are much better than they were when the 55 MPH limit was thought to be appropriate. Trying to enforce an unnaturally low limit is doomed to fail. It's the mentality of the state (in the broad sense, not just this state). [if the limit is 60, please disregard this last part ]

 

[glhs837]

Hmmm, how did this exception happen?

An exception was made to put the speed camera in place as under current Maryland law, speed cameras can only be put in work or school zones.

 

[GURPS]

this will only worsen the rush hour speed up and slow down affect .......

by volume of traffic 210 is not that deadly 50,000 cars a day travel up and down 210

yes there have been some spectacular wrecks ... a couple of yrs back there were 3 fatal accidents with in a couple of months
2 head on collisions were because a driver was going the wrong way @ 3 am ... and nothing to do with rush hour commuters driving 65 - 70 mph

50 crash-related fatalities in the past decade.

50 fatal crashes out of 130,500,000 cars traveled up and down 210 in 10 yrs
50k per day * 2610 work days so this does not account for weekends



My mistake its more like 80k at this point


https://governor.maryland.gov/2016/...unces-construction-of-new-md-210-interchange/

Traffic on MD 210 is expected to increase from 82,700 vehicles per day to 126,350 by 2035.

 

[GURPS]

50 crash-related fatalities in the past decade.

50 fatal crashes out of 130,500,000 cars traveled up and down 210 in 10 yrs
50k per day * 2610 work days so this does not account for weekends



My mistake its more like 80k at this point


https://governor.maryland.gov/2016/...unces-construction-of-new-md-210-interchange/

Traffic on MD 210 is expected to increase from 82,700 vehicles per day to 126,350 by 2035.

 

[BernieP]

by volume of traffic 210 is not that deadly 50,000 cars a day travel up and down 210


yes there have been some spectacular wrecks ... a couple of yrs back there were 3 fatal accidents with in a couple of months
2 head on collisions were becase a driver was going the wrong way @ 3 am ... and nothing to do with rush hour commuters driving 65 - 70 mph

To actually address the problem(s) it would take lots of money. Doing nothing looks bad, so they kill two birds with one stone, they look like they are doing something (slowing down traffic) and instead of spending money, they are collecting revenue.

Which of course they won't spend on the roads

 

[glhs837]

To actually address the problem(s) it would take lots of money. Doing nothing looks bad, so they kill two birds with one stone, they look like they are doing something (slowing down traffic) and instead of spending money, they are collecting revenue.

Which of course they won't spend on the roads

Legally cant. Public safety only.

 

[officeguy]

Aggressive drivers, distracted driving and drunks are what makes 210 deadly. Not speed.

 

[David]

So, its pretty much the same as the PoPo do here in SMC. To address the aggressive commuters during the week, they enforce speed limits in 30-40 MPH zones on Saturday. I guess the stats they submit to the Governor aren't that granular.

 

[David]

To actually address the problem(s) it would take lots of money. Doing nothing looks bad, so they kill two birds with one stone, they look like they are doing something (slowing down traffic) and instead of spending money, they are collecting revenue.

I do believe I agree with your assessment. It would be nice to see an actual unbiased study of the problem. The fatalities that stick in my head are alcohol related and drag racing.

Traffic on MD 210 is expected to increase from 82,700 vehicles per day to 126,350 by 2035.

I'm guesstimating that the massive growth of the population in Md and N. Va.is due to people moving here to suck off the teet of the federal government. This bubble is going to blow way before 2035, of this I have no doubt. If we don't see some serious storm clouds by 2020, I will be very, very surprised. The preppers will have the last laugh

nothing to do with rush hour commuters driving 65

I would think that rush hour drivers are extra attentive; in both cases they're driving fast and in a hurry to get to/from work. You get bored when you're in stop and go driving or cruising the interstate with miles to go to nowhere.

Aggressive drivers, distracted driving

I'm all in favor of a law which allows other drivers to drag the above-mentioned types of drivers out of their vehicles and give them a good beat down.

 

[glhs837]

So, its pretty much the same as the PoPo do here in SMC. To address the aggressive commuters during the week, they enforce speed limits in 30-40 MPH zones on Saturday. I guess the stats they submit to the Governor aren't that granular.

Exactly. the ol' 9AM radar patrol, Sat or Sunday morning. Meanwhile I see officers ignore unsafe lane changes and ROW violations all day long. Would be neat to break out the 210 fatals by time of day.

 

[GURPS]

I've seen PG's finest on 210 in the evenings

 

[BernieP]

I do believe I agree with your assessment. It would be nice to see an actual unbiased study of the problem. The fatalities that stick in my head are alcohol related and drag racing.


I'm guesstimating that the massive growth of the population in Md and N. Va.is due to people moving here to suck off the teet of the federal government. This bubble is going to blow way before 2035, of this I have no doubt. If we don't see some serious storm clouds by 2020, I will be very, very surprised. The preppers will have the last laugh


I would think that rush hour drivers are extra attentive; in both cases they're driving fast and in a hurry to get to/from work. You get bored when you're in stop and go driving or cruising the interstate with miles to go to nowhere.


I'm all in favor of a law which allows other drivers to drag the above-mentioned types of drivers out of their vehicles and give them a good beat down.

Drag racing (street racing) is sometimes organized, I'm sure police can monitor social media and address with more patrols.

What you will see is an increase in people displaced from DC via "gentrification". Maryland is middle of the pack in unemployed and also pretty far down the list in states where it is easy to find a job. "The government" probably ranks as the major employer in Maryland as a lot of businesses have been driven out by taxes or other laws (Barretta)

Rush hour drivers also be distracted drivers, they can be on the phone for either work and/or personal matters. Hands free or not, if your brain is engaged, you are not fully focused on the situation around you. Please, nobody better says multitask. We are humans, we don't have the equipment to multi-task like a computer. What we do is context switch quickly. I have seen drivers either looking at a person in the car or looking at the speaker AND gesturing with sometimes both hands.
Another problem is "rush hour" traffic isn't just commuters. You get a good mix of "local" traffic on even the beltway. People who are out, not in a hurry, just doing what they do.
Speed isn't a problem if everyone is doing the same speed, it's when you throw either much slower or a much faster vehicle into the mix.
Not sure if it's distracted driving, but rubber necking and the brake slamming when people spot a police car.
Want to see a pile up on I-97? Park a marked MSP car in the median. All of a sudden traffic that was moving smoothly comes to a halt.

 

[GURPS]

Speed isn't a problem if everyone is doing the same speed, it's when you throw either much slower or a much faster vehicle into the mix.

Generally I agree which is why my original rejoiner took up the volume of traffic flowing up and down 210.

82,000 cars a day

and how few fatal accidents there really rare.

I will point out however with the traffic doing 55 - 70 spread across the 3 or 4 lanes on 210 the wreckless drivers that come blasting along at 80 are a definite hazard especialy when exploting gaps up the right hand lanes and suddenly appearing next to you or passing some distracted driver on his or her smart phone

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

What is the speed limit on that road? 55? and people drive as fast as what? 70+? So, now they're going to try and enforce 55? How about some common sense like making a practical speed limit like say 60? This is 2019 and cars are much better than they were when the 55 MPH limit was thought to be appropriate. Trying to enforce an unnaturally low limit is doomed to fail. It's the mentality of the state (in the broad sense, not just this state). [if the limit is 60, please disregard this last part ]

Well, actually, one could/can still speed at 66.5 mph, in a 55 mph zone, and the camera will not activate and take a picture. Only when a vehicle hits 12 mph and over a set speed limit does the camera activate. State law regarding the operating features of these cameras says so. So, set the cruise at 65-66 and be good all the way to the beltway.

 

[glhs837]

Exactly. the ol' 9AM radar patrol, Sat or Sunday morning. Meanwhile I see officers ignore unsafe lane changes and ROW violations all day long. Would be neat to break out the 210 fatals by time of day.

sure enough a State Trooper was on 235 near Toyota literally from 9am til 6pm yesterday.

 

[slowlane]

50 fatal crashes out of 130,500,000 cars traveled up and down 210 in 10 yrs
50k per day * 2610 work days so this does not account for weekends



My mistake its more like 80k at this point


https://governor.maryland.gov/2016/...unces-construction-of-new-md-210-interchange/

Traffic on MD 210 is expected to increase from 82,700 vehicles per day to 126,350 by 2035.

The last sentence in the linked information sheet above, reads "SHA is expected to complete the project by fall 2018". Actually it's been pushed forward to December 2021.

For any of you on Facebook, there's a Facebook site with a whopping 5,200 members/ followers called "NIGHTMARE ON 210". It's completely devoted to discussing, daily traffic problems, updates, and complaints about drivers on Indian Head Highway -- nothing else-- often with sarcasm and humor, and photos of offending cars.

 

[slowlane]

https://governor.maryland.gov/2016/...unces-construction-of-new-md-210-interchange/

Traffic on MD 210 is expected to increase from 82,700 vehicles per day to 126,350 by 2035.

The last sentence in the information sheet linked above, reads " SHA anticipates completion of the project by fall 2018." Good luck with that. The latest estimate is by December 2021.

And for any of you on Facebook, there is a Facebook site with a whopping 5,200 members/ followers, called "NIGHTMARE ON 210." It's all about the daily traffic problems, slowdowns, and aggressive driving that commuters experience on Indian Head Highway. Often written with humor, sarcasm, and photos of offending cars.

 

[GURPS]

yeah that has been going on a while now ....

I just recently learned NO left turns from or to Kirby Rd.

 

[Rommey]

Legally cant. Public safety only.

As you pointed out earlier, there can be exceptions:

An exception was made to put the speed camera in place as under current Maryland law, speed cameras can only be put in work or school zones.

Not that will make an exception for how to use the revenue, just that they could if they wanted to.