Initial Locations ID'd For Speed Safety Cameras In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — Initial locations for speed cameras in Stamford have been identified, and the devices could be in place as early as summer 2025.

The Board of Reps. Transportation Committee on April 24 recommended location plans that would place 12 cameras near six schools in Stamford. The full Board of Reps. on Monday voted to approve a public hearing on the proposal, which could take place on May 29, according to Luke Buttenwieser, chair of the Stamford Vision Zero Task Force and a member of the city's transportation department.

Plans call for two cameras to be placed — one in each direction — near Cloonan Middle School on West North Street; Springdale Elementary School on Hope Street; Dolan/Toquam on Toms Road; Stamford High School on Strawberry Hill Avenue; Julia A. Stark Elementary School on Glenbrook Road; and K.T. Elementary School on Cove Road.

Officials have said they used a data-backed approach to determine these initial locations.

The majority of students walk to these schools, and the 85th percentile speed, which is the speed at which 85 percent of drivers travel on these roadways, is at least 6 mph over the posted 25 mph speed limit. On Strawberry Hill Avenue, the 85th percentile speed is 38 mph, the highest of any of the initial camera locations.

"I think at a high level, we would like to be able to install these in front of every single school in the city all at once, but just from a financial and logistical standpoint, it's not feasible to do 40 some locations at once," Buttenwieser said Tuesday during the Stamford Vision Zero's regularly scheduled monthly meeting.

"These will most likely be installed about a year from now in the summer of 2025. We want to be deliberate, we want to be thoughtful about this whole process. It does take some time in terms of procurement, getting testing, figuring out the proper vendor for us to use, and different things like that," he added.

Vision Zero Task Force member and Stamford Transportation Bureau Chief Frank Petise agreed with Buttenweiser.

"We need to come up with a system to roll [the cameras] out and phase them in. We're all for safety, and ideally would have them everywhere, but just from a logistical standpoint, we need to figure out how to roll the program out," he said.

The Board of Representatives must approve the locations first, and then they must ultimately be approved by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

The Board of Reps. on April 1 approved an ordinance to allow the traffic calming devices.

The ordinance authorizes using speed cameras in school zones, pedestrian safety zones and "other places within the boundaries of Stamford."

A camera would detect when a passing vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit by 10 mph or more, and a photograph would be taken of the offender's license plate.

The vendor of the speed camera equipment would review the violation and assemble images, and then forward them to the city.

If a city employee determines there is reasonable grounds to believe that a violation occurred, the employee can issue a fine by first class mail to the owner of the vehicle.

The fine for a first-time violation would be $50, and then $75 if, at the time of a violation, a previous fine is unsettled or uncontested.

For outstanding citations totaling $245 or greater, or if an offender has three or more delinquent citations that are unsettled and uncontested, the city could remove or immobilize vehicles through scofflaw booting.

The Stamford Vision Zero Task Force has assembled a web page with information and FAQsregarding speed cameras in the city.