New traffic camera bill aims to prioritize safety over revenue
A bill at the statehouse is aiming to add some consistencies as to where and why traffic cameras are installed.
It passed through a House subcommittee this morning.
Lawmakers say some of these communities may be putting them up to make money, rather than making the roads safer.
The bill would require the community to install a camera to prove the roadway it's being placed on is a dangerous one. After they put the cameras in place, the community has to prove that it's changing driver's behavior.
"I think it's a good step in the direction to be able to be consistent across the state of Iowa when it comes to regulation of these cameras," said Rep. John Forbes, a Democrat from Urbandale.
Republican lawmakers were not available Wednesday for an interview, but the bill passed through subcommittee unanimously with bipartisan support, and Forbes expects the same to happen when it's brought to the House floor.
Unlike previous versions that have failed for years at the statehouse, this isn't an outright ban.
It requires communities to apply for a traffic camera through the Iowa DOT, and include their justification for the enforcement. Then, on a yearly basis, the bill would require the community to submit a report detailing the camera's effectiveness to determine whether the camera is still needed.
This is all to make sure the cameras are being installed for the right reasons.
"Some communities are putting these cameras in on primary roads and sometimes their intent is maybe not as much for traffic enforcement, rather than to recoup or get money generated from these cameras," Forbes said.
The bill only applies to cameras on DOT-managed roads, like the ones in Prairie City on Highway 163 and in Webster City on Highway 20, plus the new ones just recently voted on in Newton and Grinnell to be installed on Interstate 80.
"The number of accidents were starting to tax our EMS, our fire, police, even our public works staff were responding," said Grinnell City Manager Russ Behrens.
Behrens says there's no doubt the interstate has turned into a dangerous speedway-- so much so the city doesn't like sending its first responders out there if they don't have to.
Behrens says while this new bill may strip some cities of their cameras, he believes Grinnell has the evidence needed to keep theirs in place.
"Requiring us to work with the DOT to make sure these are deployed in an effective, safe manner, I personally think it makes sense," Behrens said.
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