Speed camera numbers are shocking

The surge of speed camera citations on Route 1 north of Lewes – nearly 25,000 in its first month of operation – has ignited a firestorm of conversation across the Cape Region and beyond. As the topic of the Cape Gazette’s most-read story in the past year, this issue clearly resonates with the community, and for good reason. Speeding has long been a problem on this stretch of highway, even before construction began on the Minos Conaway Road grade-separated interchange project. 

Drivers have clocked speeds far above the posted 50 mph limit in the work zone, including a recorded high of 103 mph, underscoring the very real danger posed by excessive speed. The state will certainly generate a lot of revenue from this camera, but it’s also a public safety tool designed to slow traffic where workers and motorists are most at risk. The Delaware Department of Transportation has said its upstate cameras on I-95 have shown a decrease in average speeds, meaning they likely prevent crashes in areas where traditional policing cannot be present around the clock. 

The volume of citations and resulting fines has raised questions among residents – about fairness, enforcement practices and where the money ultimately goes. In Delaware’s work zone enforcement system, fines are calculated by a combination of a base fee and additional fees per mph over the limit, plus statutory surcharges. Our newsroom intends to dig deeper into these numbers. We’ve submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for more detailed information, such as: When are people being ticketed most frequently? How much money do 25,000 citations generate? And how does the Route 1 camera compare to DelDOT’s I-95 cameras?

The surprising number of speeding tickets in just a single 32-day period proves the state’s effort to curb speeding in this area is necessary. So it’s worth repeating a simple truth: Obey the posted limit. You will not only avoid a ticket, but also improve safety for everyone passing through and working in the construction site.