Baltimore Bill Designed to Catch Big Trucks on Small Streets Illegally

A Baltimore City Council committee will reconvene a hearing for a bill to create a camera system to catch commercial vehicles driving in areas of the city in which they are prohibited.

The Land Use and Transportation Committee hearing is scheduled to reconvene at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall.

Under the legislation, the city would be limited to having no more than six cameras active at any one time by the third year of the program.

According to the Finance Department’s February letter to the council, a first offense would result in a warning, a $250 fine for a second offense and a $500 for a third offense.  It estimates the cost of implementing the program to be $80,200 in the first year.  The department also anticipates revenues of $339,140 for fiscal year 2014 and $339,104 for fiscal year 2015.

Both the Baltimore Development Corporation and the Baltimore Police Department have submitted letters to the committee supporting the legislation.  

For some neighborhoods in North Baltimore, such as Medfield and Hampden, commercial vehicles using residential streets has been an ongoing issue.