Citations across the nation

Cedar Rapids' traffic cameras sure have played a mean game of license plate bingo.

Since 2010, motorists from all 50 states have received camera citations for speeding through Cedar Rapids, according to figures detailed in B.A. Morelli's story in Wednesday's Gazette. From Maine to Malibu, from Naples to Nome, folks have received a nifty photo of their vehicle's backside as it rocketed at Mach 6 through the City of Five Seasons.

My daughter, who still needs a Delaware, is jealous.

You can't put a price on memories made traveling the country. But $75 will do.

And yet, even with that kind of national reputation, and with more than 442,000 total citations, and counting, the cameras still are having a hard time catching on with a key demographic group. Namely, drivers with lead feet hurtling at over 67 mph.

An increasing number of Cedar Rapidians are still racing by them, with monthly citations to locals rising 20 percent since 2011. More than 100,000 citations have been issued to Cedar Rapids vehicles. Marion is second at more than 18,000. Each of our two family vehicles has been cited. In the interest of domestic tranquility, I can't say who was driving.

Out-of-staters now make up nearly 40 percent of citations, with Illinoisans and Minnesotans racing neck-and-neck for pole position. Those numbers might be significantly higher if not for all the indignant speeders who vowed to boycott Cedar Rapids after receiving a citation. The local economy has been brought to its knees.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Former Police Chief Greg Graham optimistically predicted in 2010 that the cameras' deterrent power would alter driver behavior so dramatically that revenues from citations would steadily decline. But that hasn't happened. More than $5 million still is rolling in annually, with a $3.2 million cut for the city.

The good news is accidents on I-380's dreaded 'S-curve” have declined. The bad news is the average speed of cited vehicles is increasing.

What to do, what to do? It could be a matter of visibility. Current 'photo enforced” signage may not be enough. Perhaps giant, flashing neon arrows would help, or Vegas-style lighted, dancing fountains, or maybe Hollywood premiere searchlights. Painting the pavement bright blood danger red could give drivers an ominous clue. Rockets? Torches? Lasers?

Yeah, that's over-the-top stuff. But if the true goal of the camera program is to deter speeding, and that's not going as well as expected, the visibility of camera warnings is something to think about. Maybe some more signs, a flashing light or two, would prompt more drivers to slow down and avoid a citation. It wouldn't have to be elaborate or expensive.

It might also help please the Iowa Department of Transportation, which has nagged the city about cameras placed too close to speed limit changes. Notification is the core issue.

It's true that some drivers are never going to get the message, no matter how many flags you wave or rockets you shoot off, so they get fined. It's tough to feel sorry for them, considering that they have to be going 12 mph over the speed limit to get a ticket. Even if they did drive here all the way from Delaware.

l Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com