Making money or making roads safer? One man opposes Iowa town's plan to add speed cameras
Webster City is one step closer to installing speed cameras in town. Last night, the city voted on the second reading of a new speed camera ordinance. It calls for cameras that would catch speeders on Highway 20 and Highway 17 city on the southern edge of Webster City.
The first location is Highway 17 near Briggs Woods Road. Two cameras would keep an eye on both north and southbound traffic.
It's the same story a few miles away along Highway 20 near the Webster City interchange. Two cameras would patrol both east and westbound traffic.
The city says there are too many speeders, and it's time to crack down on safety violations.
“We are trying to minimize the number of accidents and the number of speeding that's going on out on our highways so we can improve the safety of the vehicles and improve the circulation in the area,” Biridiana Bishop, the Webster City assistant city manager, said.
Bishop says the city council has been keeping an eye on other cities in Iowa with speed cameras. She says tickets could be from $50 to $75, but those penalties still need to be worked out.
Jeff Pingel of Webster City opposes the plan to put up speed cameras, saying "I just don't think it's a good look for the community."
Pingel says he thinks speed cameras are more about making money than making roads safer, and he's afraid installing them could hurt businesses in town.
“I don’t think Webster City is one of those cities that wants to grab money from people going by on the highway," he said. "I would think they'd rather they'd come into town to spend some money rather than take their money while they're driving by."
“We don't know what the budget outcome will be with these cameras. But whatever that is, we will be reinvesting in the community to improve safety in the area,” Bishop said.
The city council has one more meeting before approving the speed cameras. If they are approved, they could be installed in the next six months.
