Baltimore plans to move the two automated speed cameras on Interstate 83 to new locations soon, Mayor Brandon Scott announced Wednesday.

The cameras, currently monitoring a winding, crash-prone section of the Jones Falls Expressway near the old Pepsi sign just north of Druid Hill Park, will be moved farther away from each other and start citing speedsters at two new spots later this month.

The northbound camera will move to the Mount Washington area in the vicinity of Smith Avenue, just north of Northern Parkway. The southbound camera will move closer to downtown near the expressway’s exits for North Avenue, according to a city transportation department release.

“Anyone that speeds on 83 is putting themselves and other people in danger. We know how many accidents have happened there historically,” Scott said at a news conference. “Slow your roll or you will get a ticket.”

Automated speed cameras are an evergreen source of grumbling and grandstanding to just about everyone everywhere, from lawmakers in Annapolis to Reddit forums. Critics decry them as cash-grabs while supporters tout them as necessary safety interventions.

Baltimore first put speed cameras on I-83 in 2022 to push back against the expressway’s reputation as the local “Grand Prix” where drivers could see what their cars were really made of. The stretch of expressway chosen for installation was long an area prone to hair-pulling congestion after crashes.

A Baltimore Banner analysis in late 2023 found there was a reduction in crashes on the expressway during the first year the cameras were citing drivers. The analysis did not prove causation but found that the reduction was especially significant in a two-mile area surrounding the camera locations.

Scott said the city has issued 585,000 citations since the cameras were installed nearly three years ago. The number of tickets issued, however, has declined each year since the cameras’ installation as drivers adjusted their behavior.

Some in City Hall have criticized the cameras, particularly the multimillion-dollar contract with American Traffic Solutions to operate them, in part because the cameras struggle to bring in enough revenue to pay for themselves.

Baltimore budgeted $38.3 million in revenue from the cameras in their first year, and came up millions of dollars short. About $8 million was budgeted in fiscal year 2024, and $600,000 less was projected in fiscal year 2025.

“This reflects the changing behavior of drivers due to the traffic camera program as preliminary data shows the number of crashes has decreased and driver speeds have declined since the program was implemented,” city budget documents state.

Scott said he would like to see more cameras along the expressway, but additional cameras would need to be approved by the state. In lieu of additional cameras for now, city officials chose to move the existing ones, he said.

Companion bills in the House of Delegates and Senate in Annapolis would allow installation of two additional cameras along the expressway, and also would authorize the city to make the cameras permanent.

Sen. Cory McCray, a Baltimore Democrat, said he sponsored the Senate version at the request of Scott’s administration.

“Keeping drivers safe on I-83 has been a priority, and this legislation ensures that enforcement remains in place to prevent dangerous speeding,” McCray said in a text message. “This is a responsible approach that balances safety with fairness, and I’m proud to support efforts that make Baltimore’s roadways safer for everyone.”

Roadway fatalities decreased slightly across the state last year, but remained alarmingly high at 572 individuals, including 58 in Baltimore City. Three people have been killed in car crashes in the city so far this year.