If 2025 felt like it flew by, 2026 is giving Baltimoreans a reason to slow down: new speed cameras.
Starting on or about next Monday, Jan. 5, speed cameras will be implemented in the following school zones:
- The 1000–1300 blocks of Argonne Drive near Walter P. Carter Elementary/Middle School and Lois T. Murray Elementary School
- The 1000–1100 blocks of Harford Avenue near Johnston Square Elementary School
The school zone speed cameras will operate from Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the year.
Violators will not receive license points for speeding in these zones, but the city will issue fines to motorists detected driving at least 12 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. Fines increase the faster a motorist drives over the limit.
Here’s how large of a fine you can expect if you’re caught speeding:
- 12 to 15 mph over the posted speed limit – $40 fine
- 16 to 19 mph over the posted speed limit – $70 fine
- 20 to 29 mph over the posted speed limit – $120 fine
- 30 to 39 mph over the posted speed limit – $230 fine
- 40 mph or more over the posted speed limit – $425 fine
Speeding has been well-documented in the zone around Johnston Square Elementary School in East Baltimore, so much so that community members banded together to paint traffic-calming crosswalk art at intersections near the school in 2022.
After the brightly colored art was painted on the roadway, drivers were more likely to slow down and yield to pedestrians at the intersections. But speeding remains an issue along Harford Avenue, a block away from the elementary school.
The city will also launch a new commercial vehicle height monitoring enforcement location in the 2600 block of Federal Street. It is meant to cut down on traffic congestion and damage to streets, homes, and other infrastructure caused by commercial vehicles driving on roadways they are prohibited from using.
The vehicle height monitoring system will detect trucks over 12.5 feet high and record photos and video of them, including the vehicle’s registration identification.
That monitoring system will also go into effect on or about next Monday. It will be operational 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Violators will receive a warning for their first offense, a $125 fine for their second offense, and $250 fine for each offense after that.
If a commercial vehicle driver must travel on a restricted roadway for a delivery to a specific location, they must present a copy of the bill of lading, Maryland One permit, or other proof of local delivery in order to be exempted from violations.
Drivers can click here to view the city’s designated truck routes map.
