Department of Public Works - Traffic and Transportation Division
Red Light Cameras in Rockville
Map of city-wide red light cameras

Rockville began operation of cameras to enforce red light laws on Friday, Nov. 1, 2002. These are the first City-maintained cameras in a program that will be expanded as part of the Mayor and Council’s initiative to protect pedestrians.

Rockville City Police and the City’s Traffic and Transportation Division are working jointly to implement the program. Locations for future cameras are being studied.  For questions, please contact the Rockville City Police Department at 240-314-8910 or send an inquiry via e-mail.

There are eleven red light cameras now operating in Rockville and monitored by the Rockville City Police Department.

The City-maintained locations that have red light cameras are:

• Eastbound Wootton Parkway at West Edmonston Drive (West)
• Westbound Wootton Parkway at West Edmonston Drive (West)
• Westbound Wootton Parkway at West Edmonston Drive (East)
• Eastbound Wootton Parkway at Tower Oaks Boulevard
• Eastbound West Gude Drive at Research Boulevard
• Westbound West Gude Drive at Research Boulevard
• Westbound West Gude Drive at Gaither Road 
• Eastbound Redland Boulevard at Gaither Road
• Eastbound MD 28 at S. Washington Street
• Westbound MD 28 at Maryland Avenue 
• Westbound Park Road at North Stonestreet Avenue

Violators are to be fined $75, but points are not be assigned to the vehicle owner’s driving record (similar to a parking ticket) and insurance companies can not consider these tickets in calculating insurance rates. Failure to pay fines will result in the inability to renew vehicle registration with the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles. The vehicle owner may simply pay the fine, or request a trial in District Court to contest the violation.

Signs warning of the traffic enforcement measure have been installed on Redland Blvd., Wootton Parkway and West Gude Drive. The yellow time between green signals changing to red at all three Rockville intersections is 4.0 seconds and will remain at that interval.

Photos of alleged violators are processed in a regional facility operated by Howard County. Every photo taken at a Rockville intersection will be reviewed by the Rockville Police Department before it is mailed to the violator.

How does the red light camera work?

The red light camera system consists of a camera and detection loops. When the loops detect a violation, the camera takes a photograph of the vehicle just before it crosses the stop bar while the traffic light is red.  A short time later a second photograph is taken, showing the vehicle in the intersection and the signal heads displaying the red light. Both photographs show the violating vehicle and the stop bar.  They have sufficient resolution to allow the operator and the police to zoom in and read the license plate. The police confirms the event is a violation, reviews and signs off the citation, and sends a violation notice to the vehicle's owner. The vehicle owner may simply pay the fine, or request a trial in District Court to contest the violation. The photo violation carries no points, and a fine of $75.00.  Insurance companies cannot consider the ticket for insurance rates.