by Alex Lloyd Gross
Just when you thought things could not get any worse, you open your mailbox and there is a ticket from a speed camera placed along the Roosevelt Blvd. You now owe the city at least $100.00. The controversial program is now fully operational. No more warnings. Starting today, August 1 2020 it will cost you money.
Proponents of this program believe it will save lives. People will not be inclined to speed. The placement of cameras near key intersections of the northeast are designed to catch motorists that may speed up to beat a traffic light or who may be going just a bit too fast. Anything over 10 MPH is a ticket. There are no points on your license. Proponents like Mayor James Kenney believe that this program will help drivers operate their cars safer.
Opponents disagree. This is just a way for the city to take cash from people that may be out of work with the pandemic, they say. There is no discretion. There is a huge difference going 60 MPH during rush hour and doing it at 3:00 AM. There is no police officer to give an excuse to. You have to rush someone to the hospital and cannot wait for an ambulance, an emergency at home, none of it matters. You get a ticket.
You can appeal it which means you must take time off work to fight it. You hope the hearing examiner will forgive your indiscretions. No ticket will cost over $150.00 and you cannot get more than three tickets in an hours time. Anything over that is voided, city officials said. Scott Petri, Executive Director of the Parking Authority, ( they administer the program) said there is no payment arrangements. That’s tough on the single mom working two jobs at $8.50/hr. “I hope we don’;t issue one ticket, this is about changing behavior,” he said in January.
The city held a ceremony at Solly and Roosevelt Blvd. You can read that story here.
This news paper did not get one letter in support of speed cameras. We did get a few against them. You can search for speed cameras in the search bar. Here is one of those letters. here