“starting around January, it started spitting out tickets at a crazy rate”

“Dear PoPville,

Those who regularly come in and out of Rock Creek Park via Blagden Avenue in Crestwood may have been surprised to receive $100 tickets from a stop sign camera at Blagden & Allison St. NW. The camera has been operational for several years, from what neighbors can remember, but starting around January, it started spitting out tickets at a crazy rate — and for driving and stopping behavior no reasonable person would consider unsafe.

In my own household, we’ve been issued seven(!) $100 citations in the last month — our first tickets from this camera in nearly 4 years of regularly using that intersection. Collectively, drivers on Crestwood’s listserv have reported receiving thousands of dollars in citations since the new year began. Our driving behaviors haven’t changed — and this video example  from the camera shows we’re being safe — so something is off with the camera.

We are circulating a sign-on letter to DDOT that we welcome any responsible DC driver to sign and protest this hyper-vigilant camera that’s punishing safe driving. The petition is here: https://forms.gle/QNi2Y9NZp9Xfn9wu9.

Neighbors in Crestwood and 16th Street Heights are trying to get DDOT to inspect and fix the camera so responsible drivers don’t face $100 fines, and for DMV to cancel the tickets issued since Jan. 1.

I will send the petition to DDOT officials and Ward 4 Councilmember Lewis George on Wednesday, Feb. 16, in advance of a DDOT oversight hearing scheduled for Friday, Feb. 18. Councilmember Lewis George is already aware of her constituents’ concerns, and her staff tells me she has spoken to DDOT’s director.

I have attached a few photos that show the intersection — how far the camera is from the stop sign (100 ft.+), that the camera is positioned **behind** the intersection it’s monitoring (making it hard to determine precisely if/where a vehicle stops), and to show that the stop sign and the white stopping line are out of alignment by about 18 inches. Have I spent more time on this crusade to re-calibrate a camera than my $700 in tickets are worth? You bet.”