If you drive on on Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard near 77th Street, you'd better watch your speed.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 23rd, a new enforcement camera will monitor the speed of motorists in either direction and take a photo of vehicles going above the posted speed limit of 45 mph. A copy of the photo - and a speeding ticket - will be mailed to the registered owner of the cited vehicle.

The City of Scottsdale advises that this section of Frank Lloyd Wright has been the site of vehicle collisions associated with excessive speed and has a collision rate higher than comparable streets in the city.

The Frank Lloyd Wright camera will bring the number of photo enforcement cameras in Scottsdale to seven. All the other sites are located at intersections and monitor both speed and red-light activity. This is the first permanently installed mid-block photo enforcement camera in the state dedicated to monitoring only speed. The city uses four mobile photo enforcement vans, which are deployed to various locations throughout Scottsdale.

Two additional red light/speed detection camera systems are in the planning stages. They are scheduled to begin operation in September at the intersections of Shea and Scottsdale roads and Shea and 90th Street.

Statistics indicate the city's photo enforcement program is an effective safety tool. Before its introduction in 1997, the collision rate in Scottsdale had increased 71 percent in four years. When photo radar became operational, that trend reversed itself.

According to the City of Scottsdale, in 2003 there were actually fewer collisions in Scottsdale than in 1996, even though the population has increased by 45,000.

Public support for the photo radar program has steadily increased since its inception. A survey completed in January showed 74 percent of Scottsdale residents support photo enforcement and the city's Focus on Safety program.

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