The east-facing traffic camera on Santiam Road at Geary Street on July 24, 2026.
Once again, the speed cameras on Santiam Road in Albany have produced hundreds of tickets. The total for July was 336.
The total was down from 460 in June, but still more than twice the number generated on Queen Avenue at Elm Street, the second-highest cameras in terms of ticket production with 167 in July.
At both intersection, the posted limit is 25 miles per hour, and tickets are issued if the cameras catch drivers going at last 36 mph. The average speed cited on the tickets issued on both Santiam Road and Queen Avenue was 37 mph.
The Albany Police Department publishes the previous month’s traffic camera results on a dashboard as part of its photo enforcement website.
On North Albany Road, the number of speed citations in the school zone dropped to nothing in July, as you would expect with school being out. But the cameras there did nab five drivers whose average speed was 52 mph, and the fastest of them was going 55. The posted speed is 40.
On Santiam Road, and on Queen at Elm, the nature of the street contributes to the high number of cited speed violations. These are thoroughfares designed to move traffic, without curbside parking, not narrow residential streets where the posted limit of 25 mph is appropriate.
On Queen Avenue at Geary Street, the speed cameras caught only nine violations on Queen, and only eight on Geary. That’s because the posted speed is 35.
As one federal research paper on traffic speed (FHWA-RD-98-154) concluded in 1998, “In general, changing speed limits on low and moderate speed roads appears to have little or no effect on speed and thus little or no effect on crashes. This suggests that drivers travel at speeds they feel are reasonable and safe for the road and traffic regardless of the posted limit.”
As for crashes, the dashboard statistics don’t include any accident data before and after the traffic cameras were installed. The department says that information is published regularly on its website, but it’s not. (hh)
Such robberies by the county. Evilness
The “county” has nothing to do with this.
I applaud you for finally looking into to this situation. I live on Center St right off of Santiam and OMG. The 25 mph signs were taken down years ago. even with a speed bump it is crazy and there are children living on this street. Pleas look to add one in this neighborhood. Thank you
The never ending story of Albany….Speeding tickets & Flock camera’s…Big brother is watching every car…oh my..
Strange.. we were told speeding was a huge problem on north Albany rd? What about accident data to justify it? Crickets. It’s a school zone tax , that’s all.
hh; I have looked for notification signage on Gary St near the intersection with Santiam
road. I don’t see any on Gary either N or S of Santiam. Seems like tickets are only given on Santiam
That’s right. The cameras point east and west on Santiam Road.
Perhaps triple the fines?
Whaaaa. Whaaaa. Whaaaa. The solution is simple…don’t speed and then you won’t get a ticket. If you aren’t sure what the posted speed is, use some common sense. Residential neighborhoods are 25mph. School zones DURING school are 20mph. If you aren’t sure if school is in session…do 20mph. Commercial areas are generally 35mph, some are 45mph. If you aren’t sure…do 35mph.
The difference is actual times is seconds. The difference is cost is a couple of hundred dollars.
Downtown business district is 20mph.
I certainly don’t feel sorry for repeat offenders.