Traveling to Spokane — mind your speed on I-90
Those going on a road trip along I-90 toward Spokane may want to watch their speed as a new pilot program using camera enforcement starts on the interstate.
PIXABAY
SPOKANE — Drivers who are speeding on Interstate 90 between the Liberty Lake and State Line interchanges between now and the end of June may receive a notice from the Washington Department of Transportation. WSDOT will be installing “speed cameras” to identify cars traveling in excess of the speed limit.
The WSDOT is working with the Washington State Patrol and Washington State Traffic Safety Commission to install the cameras on I-90 and along southbound Interstate 5 between Cook and Bow Hill roads in Skagit County.
Amy Moreno, WSDOT communications, said it’s a temporary program for now.
“Right now, this is a pilot project and the cameras will be off the roadway by late June,” she wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald. “We will report our data and public feedback to the legislature.”
The cameras will track vehicle speeds and get a picture of the license plates of violators. Registered owners of the vehicles will get a notice encouraging them to slow down. Tickets are not being issued during the pilot program.
The notice will inform the registered owner of the vehicle’s speed and the potential cost of a ticket. The notices don’t affect driver records.
“The goal of this program is to change driver behavior, prevent collisions and injuries and save lives,” according to a WSDOT press release.
The sections for the pilot program were chosen because they are roadways where speed was a factor in fatal and serious injury crashes, the press release said.
Washington legislators authorized $1 million for the pilot program.
“Any expansion plans would have to be at (the legislature’s) direction,” Moreno said.