Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

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                                                               Councilmember Christina Henderson

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                                   A PROPOSED RESOLUTION

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                     IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

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 To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend Title IX of the Fiscal

        Year 1997 Budget Support Act of 1996 to require the District Department of

        Transportation to publish automated traffic enforcement system assessment worksheets

        on its website for the public to access.

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        RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

 resolution may be cited as the “Automated Traffic Enforcement Worksheet Public Accessibility

 Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2023”.

        Sec. 2. (a) The District’s Automated Camera Enforcement (ATE) system program uses

 cameras to capture traffic violations, calm traffic, and reduce violations along the District’s

 roadways and in its intersections.

        (b) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) prioritizes ATE system placement

 in alignment with principles of effectiveness and objectivity. DDOT carefully assesses the need

 for ATE systems after receiving input through 311 requests and emails from ANCs,

 Councilmembers, and residents, from MPD, and through the fatal crash review process.

        (c) Prior to installing an ATE system, DDOT conducts a thorough screening process,

 which includes an existing conditions review, crash data review, speed data review, and site

 visits at peak traffic hours. DDOT completes an ATE analysis following data collection, and the

 information gathered is used to inform the agency’s decision whether to place an ATE system at

 that location. The analysis is all documented on DDOT Safety Assessment Worksheets. These

 documents were not made public. If DDOT does install an ATE system, the agency continues to

 monitor drivers’ compliance with traffic laws, and if the agency documents a decrease in traffic

 law violations following the installation, DDOT may move the camera to another location that

 has been assessed and identified as a good candidate for an ATE system.

        (d) Over the past few years, a narrative has emerged that the ATE systems’ placements

 are destructive, represent attempts to exacerbate existing disparities, and are solely intended to

 generate revenue, none which is the case.

        (e) As part of the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Support Act of 2020, the Council required

 DDOT, in consultation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, to report on aspects of the ATE

 program on a semi-annual basis (DC Code § 50-2209.05). One component DDOT was required

 to include was the locations where cameras have been added in the last 6 months and the reasons

 why those locations were chosen.

        (f) DDOT has complied with the reporting requirement; however, they provide minimal

 information on the reasoning for each location. For example, between April 1, 2021 and

 September 30, 2021, ten new speed cameras were added and one new stop sign camera. As for

 the reasons for each location, DDOT simply wrote: “Camera types and locations are selected

 after a traffic safety analysis using crash, traffic volumetric and speed data and location type. If

 approved as a suitable site for automated traffic enforcement, a review for feasibility is then

 conducted prior to installation.”

        (g) In August 2022, after an inquiry from a member of the Committee on Transportation

 and the Environment, DDOT provided Councilmembers with the detailed DDOT Safety

 Assessment Worksheets for each of the locations of new cameras. They were highly informative

 and provided insight into just how many vehicles were speeding through an area before a camera

 was placed, even down to the times of day.

        (h) The Committee asked that DDOT post the DDOT Safety Assessment Worksheets on

 their website in an effort to improve transparency around the ATE camera program and

 demonstrate that the camera placements were in fact safety-based. DDOT said they would look

 into it, but almost a year later no action has taken place.

        (i) Since that time, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget approved by the Council included

 funding for the District to purchase an additional 122 speed limit cameras, 140 cameras to

 enforce bus lane restrictions, and 80 additional cameras covering stopping, school bus, and

 vehicle size rules.

        (j) As the ATE program will soon double in size, it is crucial that the public have

 resources and information available that will reveal the depth of careful analysis that informs

 DDOT’s ATE placement process. The process is informed by data and intentional, and the

 information contained in the worksheets comprehensively demonstrates the need for preventative

 measures that impact drivers’ behavior on District roads.

        Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances

 enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the

 Automated Traffic Enforcement Worksheet Public Accessibility Emergency Amendment Act of

 2023 be adopted after a single reading.

        Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.