New speed cameras recently installed in Northeast Tacoma have identified hundreds of thousands of speeding violations in their initial month of operation, prompting city officials to implement a daily cap on issued citations. The cameras, located on Norpoint Way and Marine View Drive, recorded over 500,000 vehicle passings within their first month. According to Eric Huseby, the city’s automated enforcement system program manager, approximately three-quarters of these passings, totaling more than 400,000, involved vehicles exceeding the posted speed limit.
City officials have stated that issuing a citation for each of these violations would exhaust city resources and overwhelm the court system. Consequently, the city will limit the number of tickets issued to 100 per camera per day. The enforcement system will randomly select which drivers receive citations from the pool of identified speeders. Huseby clarified that drivers committing more severe speeding offenses would be more likely to be selected for a citation, though the ultimate selection process remains random.
The decision to install these cameras followed long-standing concerns from local residents regarding speeding along the corridor. Residents have frequently described the area as a "race track," noting that vehicles often do not adhere to the 40 mph speed limit. This persistent speeding has contributed to a history of traffic incidents. City data indicates that the area has experienced 232 crashes over the past decade. These incidents include two fatalities and five crashes resulting in serious injuries.
Initially, the city issued warnings to drivers caught speeding by the new cameras, allowing for a grace period. This period has now concluded, and drivers can be cited for $145 for speeding violations. Early data suggests the cameras are having a positive impact on driver behavior. The city has reported a 12% reduction in speeding incidents at the Norpoint Way camera location and a 20% reduction at the Marine View Drive camera location. Officials anticipate that speeding will significantly decrease further within the next six months as drivers adjust to the new enforcement.
Building on these early results, the city plans to install six additional speed cameras on other streets early next year. These future camera locations are slated for South Sprague Avenue, Pacific Avenue, and Portland Avenue, expanding the automated enforcement system's reach within Tacoma.