Why Should Delaware Care?
Speed cameras have been proliferating in Delaware after the state legislature passed a bill allowing for their introduction statewide in 2023. Speed cameras recently installed in New Castle County have caught thousands of drivers.
During a two-month period this spring, traffic cameras deployed on two roads near Marshallton recorded more than 20,000 speeding cars.
New Castle County Police Sgt. Gregg Bruno reported the data during a meeting of the County Council last week. He said the county had mailed more than 14,000 written warnings to drivers during a grace period from April 15 to May 16 — the first month the cameras were deployed.
Since then, county officials have sent out more than 3,000 citations, and are processing another 3,515, Bruno said. Fines for the tickets start at $20, he said.
The new data appears to support past complaints from Marshallton residents who have said their roads had been besieged by speeders. But left unclear is whether the larger community would push back against the increasing existence of government-deployed cameras in public places.
Asked if the county might expand its speed camera program to new locations, New Castle County spokeswoman Natalie Criscenzo said officials are “focused on the existing locations and continuing to evaluate program performance and safety impacts before considering any potential expansion.”
The county’s current two speed cameras are located near Marshallton, along Milltown Road and along McKennans Church Road. They automatically issue citations or warnings to the owners of cars traveling 6 mph or more above the speed limit.
Last year, the New Castle County Council passed an ordinance approving the installation of ticket-issuing cameras on county roads. Weeks later, Delaware lawmakers gave their authorization for the cameras when passing the state’s capital budget. They also allocated $60,000 to the county for the Milltown Road project.
At the time, the state also authorized a speed camera program for Newark’s busy Main Street.
Unlike speed cameras in construction zones, these cameras are permanently fixed, making their impact long-lasting.
The approvals followed outcry from Marshallton residents. After a County Council meeting last year, resident Jill Orensky recounted to Spotlight Delaware how in early 2024 she watched a Subaru veer off of Milltown Road and crash into her home, destroying its gas meter.
“We need streets for people instead of roads for commuters,” Orensky said then.
During the county grace period this spring, the speed camera on 30-mph McKennans Church Road recorded a driver going 57 mph, Bruno said.
For Milltown Road, which has a speed limit of 35 mph, the highest speed was 66 mph.
“The average (speed) really has consistently stayed within 10 mph over the posted limit,” Bruno said in his testimony to the County Council.
A total of 345 drivers had received repeat citations, “which is a lot,” Bruno said.
Asked about county revenues from the citations, Bruno said he did not yet know the exact amount of money generated.
“We are not making millions of dollars,” he said.
The Delaware legislature first passed a bill to allow for speed cameras across the state in 2023.
A speed camera installed along Route 1 near Lewes this November issued nearly 25,000 tickets within a month, according to a report from the Cape Gazette.
