Automated Speed Cameras May Be Coming To CT Highways

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on CTNewsJunkie.com and is used here with permission. Additional reporting by Elizabeth Regan includes local context.

HARTFORD, CT – The Transportation Committee last week unanimously voted to advance a bill that would allow the state Department of Transportation to operate automated speed cameras on Connecticut’s highways. 

House Bill 5464, An Act Implementing Recommendations From the Department of Transportation, would allow the department to implement a pilot program featuring automated traffic devices on highways with a history of excessive speeding or bad accidents. The bill would require the DOT to work with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to pick the specific locations. 

The DOT already operates speed cameras in work zones, after a successful pilot program approved in 2023. 

The pilot program provisions were added after the public hearing on the bill, which at the time included issues ranging from establishing highway flex lanes to transitioning to zero-emission transit buses. 

State Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Saybrook, voted with the rest of the committee members to advance the substitute bill, but said today he will “definitely vote against the final bill” if the pilot program for automated speed cameras is in it.

He represents Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and portions of Westbrook.

He emphasized the process remains fluid. The committee, whose leadership drafted the bill, will continue to refine it until a final version is raised on the House floor. 

“I’m not a huge fan of cameras,” he said. “I think it’s unfortunate we have to even consider them because of poor driving and not having enough state troopers,” he said. 

Connecticut State Police had 928 troopers in 2024, according to a Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection report issued last year. A law mandating at least 1,248 troopers was repealed in 2012. 

He cited options outside of cameras that could include hiring more troopers, increasing penalties for reckless driving and installing more flashing speed signs. 

The transportation department also oversees and approves all municipalities wanting to install the automated devices. So far, 11 municipalities in Connecticut have been approved for speed or red light cameras, including Middletown, Milford, New Haven, Stamford and Wethersfield. 

Five municipalities – including Hartford and West Hartford – have submitted applications to the DOT and are awaiting approval. 

East Lyme passed a local ordinance to allow speed cameras earlier this year. Officials with the Old Lyme Road and Public Safety Committee have been exploring the concept since last year. 

The highway cameras operated by the DOT would capture images of the license plates of cars going 15 mph or more over the posted speed limit. Fines start at $75 for a first violation and increase to $200 for additional violations in the same year. 

Warning signs must be installed at “a reasonable distance” of the cameras and their locations must be identified on the department’s website, under the language of the proposed bill. 

The vehicle’s owner or person leasing a car would be responsible for paying the fine, and all money collected must be deposited into the state’s Special Transportation Fund. However, if a vehicle has been reported stolen or if a camera has not been calibrated properly, fines may be dismissed.

If passed into law, the pilot program would run between Jan. 1, 2027, and Dec. 31, 2028.