District of Columbia PR 25-0340: Automated Traffic Enforcement Worksheet Public Accessibility Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2023

Bill Text

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Councilmember Christina Henderson 2
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A PROPOSED RESOLUTION 8
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 14
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To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend Title IX of the Fiscal 19
Year 1997 Budget Support Act of 1996 to require the District Department of 20
Transportation to publish automated traffic enforcement system assessment worksheets 21
on its website for the public to access. 22
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RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 24
resolution may be cited as the “Automated Traffic Enforcement Worksheet Public Accessibility 25
Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2023”. 26
Sec. 2. (a) The District’s Automated Camera Enforcement (ATE) system program uses 27
cameras to capture traffic violations, calm traffic, and reduce violations along the District’s 28
roadways and in its intersections. 29
(b) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) prioritizes ATE system placement 30
in alignment with principles of effectiveness and objectivity. DDOT carefully assesses the need 31
for ATE systems after receiving input through 311 requests and emails from ANCs, 32
Councilmembers, and residents, from MPD, and through the fatal crash review process. 33
(c) Prior to installing an ATE system, DDOT conducts a thorough screening process, 34
which includes an existing conditions review, crash data review, speed data review, and site 35

visits at peak traffic hours. DDOT completes an ATE analysis following data collection, and the 36
information gathered is used to inform the agency’s decision whether to place an ATE system at 37
that location. The analysis is all documented on DDOT Safety Assessment Worksheets. These 38
documents were not made public. If DDOT does install an ATE system, the agency continues to 39
monitor drivers’ compliance with traffic laws, and if the agency documents a decrease in traffic 40
law violations following the installation, DDOT may move the camera to another location that 41
has been assessed and identified as a good candidate for an ATE system. 42
(d) Over the past few years, a narrative has emerged that the ATE systems’ placements 43
are destructive, represent attempts to exacerbate existing disparities, and are solely intended to 44
generate revenue, none which is the case. 45
(e) As part of the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Support Act of 2020, the Council required 46
DDOT, in consultation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, to report on aspects of the ATE 47
program on a semi-annual basis (DC Code § 50-2209.05). One component DDOT was required 48
to include was the locations where cameras have been added in the last 6 months and the reasons 49
why those locations were chosen. 50
(f) DDOT has complied with the reporting requirement; however, they provide minimal 51
information on the reasoning for each location. For example, between April 1, 2021 and 52
September 30, 2021, ten new speed cameras were added and one new stop sign camera. As for 53
the reasons for each location, DDOT simply wrote: “Camera types and locations are selected 54
after a traffic safety analysis using crash, traffic volumetric and speed data and location type. If 55
approved as a suitable site for automated traffic enforcement, a review for feasibility is then 56
conducted prior to installation.” 57

(g) In August 2022, after an inquiry from a member of the Committee on Transportation 58
and the Environment, DDOT provided Councilmembers with the detailed DDOT Safety 59
Assessment Worksheets for each of the locations of new cameras. They were highly informative 60
and provided insight into just how many vehicles were speeding through an area before a camera 61
was placed, even down to the times of day. 62
(h) The Committee asked that DDOT post the DDOT Safety Assessment Worksheets on 63
their website in an effort to improve transparency around the ATE camera program and 64
demonstrate that the camera placements were in fact safety-based. DDOT said they would look 65
into it, but almost a year later no action has taken place. 66
(i) Since that time, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget approved by the Council included 67
funding for the District to purchase an additional 122 speed limit cameras, 140 cameras to 68
enforce bus lane restrictions, and 80 additional cameras covering stopping, school bus, and 69
vehicle size rules. 70
(j) As the ATE program will soon double in size, it is crucial that the public have 71
resources and information available that will reveal the depth of careful analysis that informs 72
DDOT’s ATE placement process. The process is informed by data and intentional, and the 73
information contained in the worksheets comprehensively demonstrates the need for preventative 74
measures that impact drivers’ behavior on District roads. 75
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances 76
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency