Bill likely to make Iowa traffic camera enforcement more uniform

An Iowa House committee is likely to give a green light today to legislation calling for uniformity in the use of automated traffic enforcement systems – red-light cameras and speed cameras.

House Study Bill 93 would set “broad parameters for implementation” of the automated traffic enforcement systems, including those already in use in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City, Clive and Council Bluffs, according to Rep. Dave Tjepkes, R-Gowrie, who chairs the Transportation Committee. Other cities, including Des Moines, are considering installing the cameras.

The rules “need to be uniform so the traveling public knows the law … and feels they are being treated fairly,” he said.

Tjepkes expects bipartisan support from the committee to approve the bill ahead of the March 4 “funnel” deadline for policy bills to clear one legislative committee to remain eligible for debate yet this session.

Although he has concerns about the use of the cameras, Tjepkes, a former highway patrol trooper, said he “understands the safety aspect and I don't want to stand in the way of technology.”

The bill is likely to get a hearing from the Senate Transportations Committee, too, Chairman Tom Rielly, D-Oskaloosa, said during Iowa Public Radio's The Exchange Monday.

As a former mayor, Rielly said, he's “skeptical of state mandates … but uniformity is not all that bad.”

Tjepkes' proposal is due in part to complaints he's heard about the accuracy of the citations, the difficulty in appealing them and their cost.

An amendment will be offered in committee to make several changes in the original proposal. It will address signs required to advise drivers of the use of cameras. It also requires that a peace officer review all recorded images to make sure a violation occurred. The officer would have to sign an affidavit confirming it has been reviewed and that all equipment is in proper working condition, including the length of time yellow lights stay on.

The amendment calls for a flat $50 fee for running a red light. Speed fines would correspond to the criminal penalties for speeding.

Also, cities would not be allowed to charge any administrative cost in addition to the civil penalty, Tjepkes said. Some communities have been tacking on “court costs” even though courts are not involved in processing the citations.

The amendment requires cities to file annual reports with the Department of Public Safety on the type and rate of accidents where cameras are used.

In Cedar Rapids, police report that at eight intersections where red light cameras are deployed, accidents have decreased 54 percent. They also report that 99 percent of the 4.2 million vehicles passing through Cedar Rapids on Interstate 380, where four speed cameras are in use, are obeying the speed limit.

Still, the community issued citations totaling approximately $3.5 million in the first year of camera use.