Des Moines reinstates mobile speed cameras with new signage
Des Moines will reactivate its mobile speed cameras next week after installing new signs required by state law.
"Cars that are driving really fast, definitely going over 25 mph. I've seen cars go as fast as 50 mph on the street," Megan Rapp, a Des Moines homeowner, said.
Rapp and her two sons, Miles and Arlo, are used to speeding cars near 42nd and Ingersoll, a busy road where they have missed the mobile speed camera that used to be there.
"We just don't have the resources to put a cop on every corner. We don't have the resources to stick a cop in front of every park or every school," Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police said. "So this is us working smarter and using the technology to our advantage. And hopefully, we'll get that compliance that we're looking for so that the kids are safe when they ride their bikes or walking to school."
Des Moines mobile speed cameras have been out of action for months due to a new state law requiring DOT approval for their locations. The state has approved about a dozen locations for the cameras across the city, including the 4300 block of Ingersoll. Des Moines police have new signs to place at these spots to alert drivers of the traffic enforcement cameras.
"And it is really scary when you have cars going really fast. And, it's just like a parent's worst nightmare to think about what could happen there," Rapp said. "So I would love to see better speed enforcement on the street."
Once the signs are in place next week, police will give warnings starting on Dec. 2, and enforcement will begin on Jan. 6. The smallest fines will increase from $65 to $75.
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