Taneytown could create two new school zones in an effort to curb speeding and improve pedestrian safety in the city, after the council voted Monday night to introduce an ordinance that would install speed monitoring systems within the zones.

The maximum speed limit of 25 miles per hour would be monitored on all public roads within a half-mile of Taneytown Elementary School and Northwest Middle School, under the ordinance. The radius would include a portion of East Baltimore Street around Taneytown Tire & Auto.

“The Mayor and City Council believe that use of speed monitoring systems in school zones in the City will help prevent speeding and will benefit the public’s health safety and welfare,” according to the ordinance.

The ordinance would allow Taneytown to enact speed monitoring system enforcement programs in the school zones, including cameras. Violations would result in a warning for the first 30 days after speed sensors are installed, according to the ordinance.

Maryland law requires a driver to be traveling at least 12 mph over the posted speed limit for it to be considered a violation and sets a fixed fine of $40 for speeding violations caught on camera.

“Speed monitoring systems provide safe and consistent enforcement at a reasonable cost, while allowing police officers to focus on other enforcement efforts,” according to the ordinance.

City Manager James Wieprecht said cameras should generate enough revenue to pay for themselves.

“It would all be dependent on the agreement we would enter with whoever we ended up choosing,” Wieprecht said, “but the idea would be that we would get a slice of that ticket revenue, that would exceed any expense.”

In January, council members voted 3-1 in favor of drafting an ordinance to allow speed cameras at the entrances of the school zone on Trevanion Road. Mayor Pro Tem James McCarron was against the proposed legislation, though Mayor Christopher Miller said he supported it.

After receiving complaints from residents about frequent speeding in school zones, city officials consulted Altumint Inc., a Lanham, Maryland, company that supplies radar technology for speeding and traffic light enforcement. Altumint conducted a speed study in October to determine areas of Taneytown where speeding occurs the most. Cameras were placed on Trevanion Road near Taneytown Elementary School and Northwest Middle School, and another pair were set up at the intersection of Baumgardner Avenue and East Baltimore Street.

Mike Phelan, director of strategic accounts for Altumint, told city officials on Jan. 13 that 277 violations were captured by Altumint’s cameras on Trevanion Road in the span of just one day during the study. Phelan estimated that 3,000 vehicles travel down Trevanion Road each day.

Altumint has a software that would allow Taneytown’s police chief and other city officials to access reports, approve or reject speeding violations and certify that payments are collected from those who are fined, Phelan said. If a violation is approved, it is forwarded to the Motor Vehicle Administration, which sends the ticket.

Installing cameras and signage could be enough to reduce speeding offenses by as much as 50%, Phelan told the council.

The ordinance provides the framework for the city to, “acquire and use Speed Monitoring Systems provided by a vendor for speed camera enforcement within the City’s jurisdiction,” and “enter into appropriate agreements with the vendor for the furnishing of Speed Monitoring Systems associated with the Speed Monitoring System enforcement program.”

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