The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says that there have been a “significant number of speeding events occurring within the defunct Photo Enforcement zones.” As a result, the Department has implemented “Mission Oriented Policing Projects” in each deactivated camera location to monitor traffic flow, and they intend to aggressively enforce speeding laws by way of focused uniformed patrol deployments.
According to data furnished by the Pima County Department of Transportation, the Nogales Highway and Swan Road locations, for example, have experienced over a 1000% increase in “events” recording speeds greater than 11 mph over the posted limit from 2013 to 2014. A significant percentage of the increase in activations falls within 11-15 mph over the speed limit. Activations within the 20 mph and over category account for a small percentage. The bulk of events occur during morning and evening rush hours.
The Sheriff’s Department is working closely with the Pima County Department of Transportation to ensure continued traffic safety within Pima County. The department is also conducting an analysis of the speed events with the collision rates to adjust enforcement, education, and engineering efforts and will continue to promote a unified approach to reduce collisions and injuries on Pima County roadways.
The Sheriff’s Department urges the motoring public to adhere to posted speed limits throughout Pima County to ensure the safety of all roadway users.