Colorado towns fret loss of traffic cameras. NOT.
A collection of Colorado mayors and police chiefs, led by a coalition funded by the traffic camera industry, is trying to put a red light in front of a bill to ban those pesky traffic cameras used for issuing citations.
House Bill 1098 has its first hearing Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the House Transportation and Energy Committee. A similar bill failed last year.
Then the typical he said, she said…
“The data is indisputable that Colorado’s red light camera programs have successfully changed driver behavior and reduced red light running, crashes and injuries on our state’s roads.”
During testimony last year, however, Denver City Auditor Dennis Gallagher said there was no data showing Denver’s cameras had had any tangible impact on road safety.
But in the end, it’s all about the money…
Nine cities and a total of 12 communities use the cameras, collectively raking in more than $14 million last year. The margins are high. Denver, for example, collected more than $6.5 million in fines and spent just $2.6 million to operate the program, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.
Let’s take away this source of revenue. Driving is hazardous, it always has been always will be. There are many studies that show the overall affect of cameras is negligible at best.
