Slow Down! Speed Cameras Coming To Minnesota This August

If you needed another reason to slow down on Minnesota roads, speed cameras are coming to portions of the Land of 10,000 Lakes this summer. Starting in August, at least one city, which has been granted the ability to test the technology, will have a speed camera to reduce speeding. Another Minnesota city will take up speed cameras in the months to follow. Here's what we know about the speed cameras and how much a ticket will cost you.

Aren't Speed Cameras Illegal In Minnesota?

Yes. Speed cameras are illegal in Minnesota, except in two Minnesota cities where they were recently granted an exception to the rule to test the technology out. Mendota Heights will have a camera up starting in August, and Minneapolis will soon follow suit in the following months.

Will I Get A Ticket From The Camera?

So, according to the statute that outlines what is and isn't allowed, violators will at first get a warning sent to them letting them know about the violation if they are driving 10 or more than the limit, but anything after that first warning, people could and can expect tickets costing between $40-80 being sent to them for driving too fast.

Mendota Heights Police told Fox 9 that they didn't expect to issue many tickets, as most people will learn where the cameras are and just slow down. On the other hand, Minneapolis believes that by next year, they will be issuing enough citations to cover the operating costs of the cameras, which, according to Fox 9, is around $3 million a year.

Work Zones Are Also Getting Cameras

Some work zones in Minnesota are also getting speed cameras, but those cameras are expected to just give warnings to drivers for going too fast in a work zone. However, I don't think we can expect the cameras to just issue warnings over the long haul, but for now, once August hits, you might want to take a good look at your surroundings as you hit the road.

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When does the pilot camera program end?

The statute makes the pilot program end in July of 2029, so we've got about 4 years of the pilot program, and depending on how it goes we could see more cameras issuing speeding tickets in other parts of Minnesota, or they could just go away.