SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A 45-day warning period in Suffolk has ended. Speed cameras are now fully in operation on Route 58 at the SPSA interchange. Violators who exceed the speed limit will now face $100 fines instead of getting a warning.
The grace period for Suffolk’s speed cameras, which began June 2, ended on Wednesday. Penalties will be issued beginning July 17, 2025.
It’s part of the city’s comprehensive traffic enforcement initiative, which includes red light cameras, school zone cameras, school bus stop arm cameras, and work zone cameras.
Local truck driver Calvin Johnson expressed his dissatisfaction with the fines, telling WAVY, “It’s too excessive. We already pay tolls, we already pay taxes, I just think it’s excessive. It’s just another way the state is collecting money from citizens that’s already paying taxes.”
Motorist Kobie Hunt believes the fines may reduce speeding, “I know it will cause a lot of speeding tickets, because every time I get on the road, people speeding, doing, like, 20 over the speed limit. Hopefully that can bring down the speeding and make it a safer road to drive on.”
Truck driver Johnica Brown, who travels this road often, supports the fines for safety reasons, “It will slow people down. And if you are going too fast, it won’t cause people to have an accident. And it just kind of directs traffic to slow down a little bit.”
The new enforcement measures aim to reduce speeding and the likelihood of accidents.
The speed cameras capture images of the rear of the vehicle, which are used by the Suffolk Police Department as evidence to issue a Notice of Violation/Summons via mail. The cameras do not take photographs of every passing vehicle, only those exceeding the posted speed limit.
Work Zones that have Speed Enforcement Cameras will have signage alerting drivers.
