City Cast

How To Deal With DC Stop Sign Cameras

Kaela Cote-Stemmermann
Kaela Cote-Stemmermann
Posted on October 19
Twitter post by Alan Henney showing his Ford Crown Victoria making a rolling stop.

Twitter post by Alan Henney showing his Ford Crown Victoria making a rolling stop. (@alanhenney/Twitter)

Over the weekend, independent journalist Alan Henney posted a video of him rolling through a stop sign with the caption, “That's me driving the white Crown Vic on Blagden Ave at Allison St NW. D.C. has fined me $200. Should I pay or contest it?” He was met with a frenzy of roasts and insults in the comments section. (Along with a correction that the ticket was likely only $100.)

It made us wonder, how did D.C. fine him and get this video in the first place? We did some research, and it turns out there are actually seven different stop sign cameras in D.C. So, while you should always be stopping fully, be extra careful at these intersections:

  • 37th St and Whitehaven Pkwy NW
  • Fessenden St and 44th St NW
  • Kansas Ave and Buchanan St NW
  • Longfellow St and Missouri Ave NW
  • Blagden Ave and Allison St NW
  • 27th St and R St SE
  • Bruce Pl and 15th Pl SE

These cameras can be finicky, soliciting frequent complaints from residents who say they got tickets despite stopping fully. So be sure to stop for three full seconds every time, and clearly before the line!

Sure, it’s a hassle, but as one of our podcast listeners pointed out, many of these intersections are located close to schools and parks. So it’s not just DDOT trying to make a buck.

We talked more about our personal experiences with stop sign cameras in our news roundup on Tuesday 🎧

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