Beyer introduces bill to reinvest G.W. Parkway speed camera revenue in safety upgrades
Legislation would allow Park Service to keep fine revenue for road maintenance, camera installation
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose district includes Alexandria, introduced legislation this week that would direct revenue from speed camera enforcement on National Park System roads back into safety improvements and maintenance at the parks where violations occur.
The Parkway Safety and Reinvestment Act would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to issue citations and assess civil penalties for speed-camera violations on roads such as the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Revenue would stay at the park where violations occur, funding road construction, maintenance, parking facilities, and camera upkeep.
The bill overrides the Victims of Crime Act, which currently routes federal fines to a crime victims fund. It also allows the Park Service to spend the revenue directly without waiting for Congress to appropriate funds — a significant change for an agency facing a maintenance backlog.
The legislation permits the Park Service to contract with private companies to install and maintain cameras, but requires any enforcement to comply with state law. In Virginia, that means following the commonwealth’s existing rules governing speed camera use.
“Speeding is a persistent and dangerous problem along the George Washington Memorial Parkway — and on parkways across the country — that threatens drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike,” Beyer said in a statement.
The parkway is a route Alexandria commuters depend on daily to reach Reagan National Airport, the Pentagon, and D.C. A 2021 Park Service safety study documented a persistent speeding problem on the southern stretch, finding drivers routinely travel 8 to 12 mph above posted speed limits.
The study analyzed 389 crashes at nine intersections between Mount Vernon and the Alexandria city line from 2005 to 2019, including the Belle Haven and Belle View intersections familiar to Alexandria residents. It recommended automated speed enforcement but noted the Park Service lacked authority to act.
The safety study also flagged risks to cyclists and pedestrians on the Mount Vernon Trail, the 18-mile path paralleling the parkway that draws runners and bike commuters from Alexandria. The study warned that the likelihood of death rises sharply when vehicles travel above 40 mph.
The bill comes after a separate effort to address parkway safety failed in Richmond earlier this year. Senate Bill 776, introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, would have allowed Virginia and local police to enforce traffic laws on the federally owned road. The bill passed the Senate but died in a House committee.
“The United States Park Police have basically abandoned enforcement on that road, and we have speeds completely out of control,” Surovell said at the time.
The 25-mile parkway carries about 70,000 drivers daily. It opened in 1932 as a scenic route to Mount Vernon — not the commuter corridor it has become.