New Castle County says camera-and-sign program is issuing warnings and growing citations for trucks on Lampson Lane

Sergeant Greg Bruno, supervisor in the Traffic Services Unit for New Castle County, told the Public Safety Committee that a truck-monitoring system on Lampson Lane is live and issuing warnings and citations to vehicles that use the residential roadway instead of the posted route.

"Once they turn on to Lampson Lane, there's another sign there," Bruno said, describing camera locations by Rose Hill Community Center and the system's warning-and-citation workflow. "If they do it a second, third time, you're gonna start getting citations."

The nut of the program: the county set up clear signage and cameras that first issue a warning to an offending vehicle, then—if the same registered vehicle returns within 24 months—a citation is generated, processed by the vendor Elevate and finally approved by county staff for mailing. Bruno said the system went live Sept. 29; the first paid citation was Oct. 15, and he estimated about 700 violations have been recorded since launch, with 44 citations paid as of the morning of the meeting.

Bruno said the base administrative fine plus fees results in roughly $431 for the first paid citation. He said the vendor’s system increases the penalty for repeat violations; the transcript lists a higher amount for follow-up violations but the recorded figure is unclear in places. The county processes images through two vendor reviewers before Bruno reviews and approves citations for issuance.

Council members pressed Bruno on enforcement and compliance. Councilman Smiley suggested pursuing a state-level point penalty for repeat drivers; Bruno said the county issues the citation to the registered owner (typically the company) but that owners can pass charges to drivers and that unpaid fines can produce a registration hold. Council member Tackett asked whether fines escalate if not paid; Bruno said unpaid fines can block vehicle registration until resolved.

Committee members also discussed outreach to repeat offenders. "As I see some of these companies, I have reached out to them and I say, 'Hey, listen, what’s going on here? Where's the disconnect?'" Bruno said, adding he has contacted companies with multiple violations. Council President Williams Johns and others urged continued coordination with DelDOT to improve signage and with county officers to maintain a presence at the site.

Bruno and other county staff emphasized that the initiative is intended for traffic calming and resident safety rather than revenue generation. Council members asked the county to return with lists of repeat offenders and recommended considering additional penalties or state cooperation if companies treat fines as a cost of doing business.

The committee did not take a formal vote on changing county enforcement authority; the discussion closed with staff stating they will continue outreach, pursue DelDOT signage improvements and monitor the vendor-issued citations.