Arrowhead Justice Court Judge John C. Keegan last week dismissed the photo radar-based reckless driving charges filed against the Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party. On May 6, officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), which is headed by Democrat Roger Vanderpool, showed up at the state GOP headquarters with a speed camera ticket in hand to arrest Brett Mecum, 30. Judge Keegan took the case as an opportunity to reinforce his previous judgment that the Arizona law governing freeway speed cameras is unconstitutional.

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Supporters of the use of photo enforcement around the country insist red light cameras and speed cameras are primarily designed to “save lives.” When faced with independent studies showing the overall number of accidents can actually increase where intersection cameras are installed (view studies), supporters like Illinois state Senator John J. Millner (R-St. Charles) counter that the type of accidents caused by red light cameras is not worth worrying about. “This does save lives,” Millner said during a 2006 debate on expanding the use of red light cameras. “Will there be more rear-end accidents? Perhaps there may, but those typically aren’t life threatening. The T-bone accidents are. This saves lives.”

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Once considered impervious to recession, some photo enforcement companies are showing signs of distress during the ongoing economic downturn. Long-struggling Nestor Traffic Systems has been the worst hit. On Wednesday, a Rhode Island superior court judge appointed Jonathan N. Savage, a partner with the Shechtman Halperin Savage law firm, to take charge of selling the failed company. Former members of Nestor’s inner circle have pointed fingers at the company’s leadership.

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The Tennessee General Assembly on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation authorizing the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and Tennessee Highway Patrol to ticket motorists on interstate freeway work zones using automated cameras. Although many members in the House and Senate expressed strong opposition to the concept of photo enforcement, the authorization measure passed by an overwhelmingly 80 to 10 margin in the House and 28 to 0 in the Senate. The support was due in no small part to the bill’s wording, which granted authority to deploy cameras in the guise of restricting them. House Bill 1202 states . . .

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Last week, Maine became the fourteenth state to ban the use of red light cameras and speed cameras. Governor John Baldacci (D) signed into law a bill introduced by Representative Richard Cebra (R-Naples) that prohibits the use of a “traffic surveillance camera to prove or enforce a violation” of traffic laws. Cebra’s measure sailed through the legislative process with almost no opposition at any stage of the process. 

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Yesterday, Italian police raided the Brescia headquarters of a speed camera manufacturer accused of fraud involving seventy municipalities throughout the country. Officers from the Guardia di Finanza, the law enforcement arm of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, seized computers, machine components and fifty speed cameras as evidence. Salerno prosecutor Amato Barile ordered the raid after discovering that municipalities located hundreds of miles apart were using 512 photo radar units bearing the same individual serial number.

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The companies that operate traffic enforcement cameras scored total victory in the Texas legislature late Saturday as key lawmakers not only ditched a plan to sunset the use of red light cameras and lengthen yellow warning times at intersections, but they also approved a number of brand new opportunities for automated ticketing firms. The ten members of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reauthorization conference committee filed the final legislative text for House Bill 300 (click here for excerpts). It cannot now be changed unless either the House or Senate votes to reject the 532-page bill in its entirety. As a result, the proposals will likely become law with the expected signature of Governor Rick Perry (R).

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The Texas state Senate voted Monday to give federal, state and local authorities the ability to track and identify every passing vehicle on state highways. The provision calling for “automatic license plate identification cameras” was slipped into the Senate version of the must-pass Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reauthorization bill. The provision was not part of the bill introduced in the state House of Representatives, whose less sympathetic members will have to accept or reject the entire 1274-page compromise hammered out by a conference committee. The House voted yesterday to instruct its conferees to insist that the House-passed ban on red light cameras remain in the final text.

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Vehicle owners could lose their car when passing through Pekin, Illinois, if a passenger happens to be carrying something on the city’s list of contraband. On Tuesday, the Pekin City Council agreed to tinker with its controversial automobile towing ordinance that has boosted the police department’s annual revenue by 29 percent. It has also generated opposition from local residents like Ed Emmons who is circulating a petition calling for reform. “The city saw a new way to make money and ran with the idea,” Emmons wrote in March. “The council should do what the majority of their constituents wish abolish the new vehicle impound ordinance.”

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At a National Press Club speech intended to promote the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) stimulus spending initiatives, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood explained how his policies are designed to discourage the ownership and use of automobiles. Although many imagine road building when “shovel-ready” projects are mentioned, the only efforts highlighted by LaHood as worthy of receiving federal taxpayer subsidy included buses, light rail and other forms of multi-modal transit. “We have $8 billion,” LaHood said. “You’re going to see new buses; you’re going to see ability of transit districts to really have the equipment . . . And we’ll begin at DOT to set a standard for our ability to get out of the recession, get people back to work in good-paying jobs.” LaHood says some of those federally funded jobs involve driving buses.

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Alaska’s newest US Senator was one of the earliest champions of photo enforcement. Mark Begich, a Democrat, took over the senate seat held by Ted Stevens (R) in January after narrowly defeating the scandal-plagued incumbent. Twelve years ago, Begich’s photo enforcement plan lasted only for a year before being crushed by a public referendum and series of devastating court losses.

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At least two Texas cities are openly defying the will of the state House of Representatives which earlier this month voted 107-36 to ban red light cameras. Texas lawmakers, unlike their counterparts in other states, decided to allow cities with existing red light camera contracts to keep issuing citations until those contracts expired on their own. The proposed law would then prohibit any new contracts after June 1. This week, the cities of Arlington and Southlake took a slap at that generous exception. Arlington’s city council on Tuesday unanimously decided to change the city’s five-year contract with American Traffic Solutions into a twenty-year contract.

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The National Motorists Association (NMA) yesterday rated all fifty states based on their friendliness toward the motoring public. By analyzing laws and speed trap patterns, the group measured each state’s dependence on the motoring public as a source of state and local revenue. “It is not exactly a well kept secret that many traffic laws, enforcement practices and traffic courts are more about generating revenue and political posturing than they are about traffic safety,” NMA President Jim Baxter said in a statement. “During holidays, like the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, we’re bombarded with messages about intensified enforcement, ‘click it or ticket,’ and horrendous fines when in fact most vacation-related traffic accidents are caused my inattention, distraction and fatigue. However, these are accident causes that don’t generate much in the way of government revenue, so instead our highways are overrun with unmarked police cars and ticket cameras.” The following were the top-ten worst states from the motorist’s perspective:

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Despite early indications that the Obama Administration did not want to follow the toll road policies of the previous administration, the US Department of Transportation is spending millions in federal taxpayer dollars to encourage states to impose tolls on new and existing roads. On Monday, the DOT published formal rules for states interested in applying to receive $1.5 billion in federal tax grants under the new “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery” program. “TIGER discretionary funding will open up the door to many new innovative and cutting-edge transportation projects,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

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Residents fed up with the promotion of red light cameras and speed cameras in Longview, Washington are looking to cut off the ability of city council members to impose the technology. Local activists Mike Wallin and Dave Grumbois last week announced a drive to collect the 2786 signatures needed to give voters a chance at the ballot box to block the expected installation of automated ticketing machines in the community of 35,000. “We have heard enough from The Daily News, city staff and the city council, so we are inviting the community to listen to our perspective of the use of traffic cameras,” Wallin said in a statement. “We can’t sit idly by and let the city’s desire for more revenue trump common sense and conventional wisdom. We the people must act now.”

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