HONOLULU — Bad or inattentive drivers on Oahu could soon run the risk of getting two tickets, instead of one, originating from automated cameras at 10 intersections in Honolulu.
It depends on whether a bill passed May 1 by the state Legislature becomes law, and if so, then how quickly the state Department of Transportation can implement the program.
Senate Bill 2443 directs DOT to enforce speed limits using cameras at 10 intersections where the agency already has cameras citing drivers running red lights.
DOT has a head start toward implementation because it already has engineering studies and data from the cameras for speeding. But the agency declined to estimate when enforcement could begin if SB 2443 is enacted.
Some of the intersections, which include McCully and Algaroba streets as well as Beretania and Piikoi streets, are more known for traffic congestion than speed scofflaws. Still, DOT data shows that plenty of citations are likely to be issued for speeding at some of the spots, which also include Pali Highway and Vineyard Boulevard along with Pali Highway and School Street.
A preliminary review of speed data collected so far shows anywhere from 500 to 23,000 vehicles going over the posted speed limit at certain intersections in a given week, according to the agency. DOT also said that at one intersection more than 6,500 drivers were recorded going 11 or more miles over the posted speed limit.
The 10 intersections were selected by DOT in 2022 based on crash data and traffic volume pertaining to red-light running. And since red-light enforcement was rolled out from late 2022 to mid-2023 covering 17 approaches to the 10 intersections, citations have been churned out at a high volume — roughly 2,200 per month in recent months.
DOT did not seek or endorse having speed limits enforced by automated cameras at the 10 intersections. Instead, lawmakers changed the DOT-endorsed original intent of SB 2443, which was to enforce speed limits on state or county highways using cameras.
“Speeding has always been one of the top contributing factors in motor vehicle fatalities for the past decade,” the department said in written testimony in February for the bill’s first public hearing. “This program is necessary to reduce these senseless deaths and injuries on Hawaii’s roadways. In 2023, there were 95 motor vehicle fatalities, speeding was a major contributing factor in half of those fatalities.”
Targeted enforcement areas of the bill shifted as the bill was considered by different legislative committees.
First, a pair of Senate committees amended the bill to limit automated speed enforcement to no more than 10 school zones. Then the House Transportation Committee changed that to at least one school or construction zone per county.
On March 19 the final change to the enforcement area was made by the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee after DOT said it supported the prior version.
State Rep. David Tarnas, chair of the committee, said he wanted to narrow the program in part to reduce its cost and to give the public a chance to adapt.
“I want to be really cautious about moving forward with the automated speed enforcement program,” Tarnas (D, Hawi-Waimea- Waikoloa) said during the committee hearing.
At a March 27 hearing held by the House Finance Committee, DOT reiterated its support for the prior version of the bill applying to school or construction zones.
A final draft of the bill including enforcement limited to the 10 Honolulu intersections was approved April 26 by a House and Senate conference committee.
One co-chair of the committee, state Rep. Chris Todd (D, Hilo-Keaau- Ainaloa), characterized the final product as essentially a pilot program.
The bill appropriates $5 million to operate the program.
DOT doesn’t need to buy extra equipment, but its current contract with Verra Mobility covers only red-light enforcement.
Before citations can be issued, DOT is required to inform the public about the program for at least 60 days, followed by a 30-day period during which only warnings for violations will be issued.
Fines for automated speeding citations, issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, start at $250 for a first violation. Fines rise to $300 and $500 for second and third violations, respectively, if committed within a year of the first violation.
The bill also increased the first-time fine for red-light violations to $250 from $200.
Under SB 2443, citations may not be issued for exceeding the speed limit by less than 5 mph. However, DOT is permitted to increase this threshold through administrative rule changes. The bill also imposes a $10 surcharge if the speed limit is exceeded by more than 10 mph.
Ed Sniffen, DOT director, has said previously that a 10 mph cushion has been generally established. During a short-lived speed limit enforcement pilot project in 2002 created at the direction of the Legislature, citations for exceeding the speed limit by less than 10 mph were being dismissed by the state Judiciary even though DOT’s threshold at the time was 6 mph over the limit.
Sniffen said in a statement Tuesday that citations for speeding would be issued by the Honolulu Police Department after reviewing camera footage and using discretion to consider factors surrounding each incident, just as is done when cameras are not involved in speeding incidents.
It’s not clear what kind of consideration would be given in the case of a driver speeding up momentarily during a yellow light.
“If the equipment detects a driver going over the posted speed limit, HPD will review the footage and determine if a citation is warranted,” Sniffen said in the statement.
It’s possible that cameras trigger two citations for the same vehicle, one for speeding and one for running a red light. The automated red-light enforcement program, however, is scheduled to end Nov. 20.
