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Connecticut DOT: municipal and work‑zone camera program shows big speed drops; Middletown data prompts further review
Summary
Connecticut DOT officials told a legislative committee that automated work‑zone and municipal camera pilots reduced speeds and repeat offenders, producing substantial citation volumes that will be detailed in upcoming 18‑month municipal reports.
Connecticut Department of Transportation officials updated the Legislative Transportation Committee on the state’s automated speed‑enforcement efforts, saying pilot programs and early municipal deployments have cut speeds and repeat offenses while generating significant citation volume.
Commissioner Garrett Ukalo said the automated work‑zone speed control pilot launched in April 2023 and ran through December 2023. "We saw 24,900 warning notices sent," Ukalo said, noting the statutory framework provides a warning on first detection and a notice of violation for repeat offenses. He told the committee the pilot produced low recidivism and measurable speed reductions — "on I‑95 speeds went down by almost 18%," he said.
Anna Marmolin, director of the Office of State Traffic Administration, outlined the municipal ATSD (Automated Traffic Safety Device) program. She said Connecticut has approved 11 municipalities and 63 locations, and that five municipalities with 42 locations were approved in the prior six months. "Middletown provided the most comprehensive data," Marmolin said, reporting large reductions in 85th‑percentile speeds at specific locations and a drop in repeat offenders.
Marmolin told lawmakers the municipal program is tightly regulated: municipalities choose locations, create enforcement ordinances, train reviewers (police or trained municipal employees), run public‑awareness campaigns, and must submit detailed reports to DOT and the legislature. She described the equity constraints in statute — limiting cameras per Qualified Census Tract (QCT) and asking DOT to avoid border placements — and detailed the reporting requirements municipalities must meet after 18 months of operation.
Committee members pressed for more granular data. "Have we seen the total number of infractions reducing?" the chair asked; DOT staff said Middletown’s Route 66 location showed about a 50% decline in citations from July to January and that repeat offenders fell substantially. DOT staff also said early collection rates were around three‑quarters for some months but cautioned the dataset came from municipal spreadsheets that remain incomplete. Marmolin said appeals have been common but rarely successful in court based on the municipal data provided so far.
Lawmakers asked how municipalities might use fine revenue; DOT said the statute governs eligible uses and that the 18‑month reports will detail how funds were spent. Ukalo emphasized the program’s safety goals over revenue: "This is really truly about slowing people down," he said.
The committee asked for more consistent municipal reporting (appeal rates, amounts collected, and precise spend categories) as they consider broader deployment. DOT staff said they will request missing municipal data and that work‑zone and municipal deployments remain in testing or soft‑deployment phases ahead of planned enforcement go‑live dates.
The hearing concluded with lawmakers thanking DOT for the information and asking for follow‑up data to address outstanding questions on collection rates, appeals, municipal spend, and longer‑term trends.
