CT News Junkie
Connecticut News from your locally owned & operated news source at the state Capitol since 2005.
Prospect and Winchester are the latest Connecticut municipalities to be approved for automated traffic enforcement cameras by the state.
They join 11 other municipalities approved so far: Beacon Falls, Fairfield, Greenwich, Marlborough, Middletown, Milford, New Haven, Stratford, Stamford, Wethersfield and Washington.
Hamden, Hartford and West Hartford have also submitted plans that are awaiting approval.
Related: What you need to know about CT’s traffic cameras
Prospect’s plan includes three separate locations for speed cameras on main thoroughfares: On Route 69 south of Oak Lane, Route 69 north of Talmadge Hill Road and Route 68, also known as Cheshire Road, west of Matthew Street.
The town, which is just south of Waterbury, has about 10,000 residents and reported four fatal accidents between 2016-2018 in its application. The three specific locations were selected due to ongoing safety concerns, officials said.
Winchester’s plan includes two speed cameras: One is planned for Main Street, also known as Route 44, by Route 183. The second one is planned for Norfolk Road, also Route 44, east of Dam Road. They will go along with the town’s Vision Zero plan, which hopes to eliminate fatal and serious injury accidents by 2034.
The town, which includes the city of Winsted, has a population of just over 10,000 residents. Officials said in the plan that the municipality handles a high-volume of traffic, often at very high speeds, based on recent traffic studies.
Speed cameras, once installed and activated, take a picture of an offending vehicle’s license plate that is going 10 or more mph over the posted speed limit. This image will be reviewed by a law enforcement official. If applicable, a fine will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner, with a first offense costing $50 and subsequent offenses $75. Most municipalities will also charge a $15 administrative fee to process the fines.
For the first 30 days after cameras are activated, only written warnings are sent out before fines will start being issued.
A municipality looking to submit a plan to the state DOT for automatic traffic devices must first hold a public hearing, and the plan must show how the devices could help improve traffic safety.
The roadway safety law passed in 2023 provides 60 days for submitted plans to be reviewed by the DOT and then approved or rejected. If a plan is rejected, the DOT will provide specific justifications and guidelines on how to resubmit.
Once a plan is approved, it is good for three years. Municipalities can reapply once the three years are up, the DOT said.
RELATED
Viktoria Sundqvist is a veteran Connecticut journalist, a CTSPJ board member, and a former newsroom data analyst. She also runs the CT Missing People & Cold Cases Substack. Sign up here!
