More News

A proposed County Council bill could bring thousands of dollars of pedestrian safety funding a year to Poolesville.

The bill, introduced in November by Council President Philip M. Andrews, would set up a system for allocating revenue from the county's red light cameras and two-year-old speed camera program, including dedicating funds for pedestrian safety improvements in municipalities that host speed cameras but do not have their own police departments.

The only such municipality is Poolesville, which has had speed cameras in two locations on Fisher Avenue since February 2008, according to County Council documents. There are no red light cameras in Poolesville.

The county collected $8.9 million in total revenue from the speed cameras in fiscal 2008 and kept about $5.5 million after expenses, according to county spokesman Patrick K. Lacefield. The cameras brought in $14.7 million in fiscal 2009 through Feb. 3, and the county netted $7.5 million after expenses.

"None of the programs that [County Executive] Isiah Leggett is talking about spending the money on would benefit my people, my residents," Eddie Kuhlman, president of Poolesville's commissioners board, said last week. "Money that's earned in Poolesville should stay in Poolesville."

Other municipalities in the county with speed cameras — Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg, Rockville and Takoma Park — have police departments that operate the program. Leggett is opposed to the bill, according to Council documents.

The town of Barnesville, a municipality that does not have a police department, has long lobbied the county for speed cameras on Barnesville Road, a residential road frequently used as a shortcut by commuters. Town officials have been concerned about the street's safety, and Barnesville commissioned its own traffic study in June 2007 to help bolster its case.

"I don't care where it goes as long as people slow down," Barnesville Mayor Pete Menke said last week of camera revenue, adding that the town has begun putting up signs with gentle reminders to motorists to watch their speeds.

The proposed bill would dedicate 50 percent of net revenue from the county's speed and red light cameras for emergency fire rescue apparatus and 15 percent for county police's traffic safety programs.

Of the remaining 35 percent, 75 percent would go to county pedestrian safety programs and 15 percent goes to pedestrian safety programs in municipalities that have speed cameras and no police force.

Some have questioned whether the proposed grant for municipalities like Poolesville, which would account for 9 percent of the cameras' total net revenue, is too high.

Council staff suggested limiting the grant to a maximum of 9 percent, and Andrews (D-Dist.3) of Gaithersburg, the bill's lead sponsor, said the proposed percentages are up for debate.

The grants may also be opened to municipalities that don't have speed cameras, according to the documents.

The bill's other sponsors are Councilmembers Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring, Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown and Duchy Trachtenberg (D-At large) of North Bethesda. The municipality grant component of the bill was suggested by Knapp, who represents the Poolesville area, Andrews said. Knapp was alerted to the issue by Poolesville officials, Kuhlman said.

The County Council's Public Safety committee is expected to discuss the bill in a worksession in several weeks, Andrews said.

Erwin Mack, chairman of the county's Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee, wrote in a letter to the Council that there have only been three pedestrian-vehicle collisions in Poolesville in the last five years and that the 9 percent grant would "…protect pedestrians where pedestrians are not being hit."

The cameras are supposed to be installed in areas that are dangerous for pedestrians, Andrews said. "The assumption is the cameras are there for a reason," he said.