Study on Speed Enforcement Cameras Halted
In a move seen as a setback on the use of speed cameras as a tool in reducing traffic accidents, the Arizona Department of Transportation announced on July 16, 2010, that it was concluding its 2-year program to place fixed and mobile cameras along Arizona highways. In May, the state canceled the work given to Redflex Traffic Systems, which had been awarded a $100,000 contract last September to study the effectiveness of speed cameras in the Phoenix area, because of the lack of data.
Apparently, the study was presumed to be gathering traffic count data on a yearly basis. When it was revealed that the data was to be gathered only every three years, officials concluded that this was not sufficient to continue the project. Some officials expressed frustration that this was not addressed at the beginning of the project.
An earlier study in 2006 and 2007, which used speed cameras in the Scottsdale area, concluded that the presence of the cameras reduced vehicle speeds and the severity and number of car accidents. Redflex representatives warned that the removal of the cameras would result in an increase in traffic violations.
There appears to be a concerted backlash against use of the cameras, which may be the real reason why the state-sponsored project was scrapped. There have been reported instances of vandalism on the devices and even the shooting of a technician who worked for the contractor that maintained the cameras.
Arizona citizens have portrayed the cameras as another attempt at governmental intrusion into their private lives. A conservative state, Arizona residents were already up in arms over the new health care reform legislation passed by the Obama administration and are feeling that they are being unfairly punished over the state's controversial immigration reform law.
The technology also angered residents who have asserted that the cameras were used to spy on the innocent and were being used as revenue-generating tools rather than for increasing safety, which some see as a major factor in the public's distrust. Some communities have been using the cameras along with other devices that can scan license plate numbers, which have been instrumental in identifying suspected criminals.
Despite the program's termination, Arizona's senate has passed a measure that prohibits the use of cell phones or texting while driving. Currently, only school bus drivers are prevented from using cell phones while driving.
