I-380 speed cameras don't comply with rules, DOT says

The state transportation department is questioning the location of automated traffic enforcement cameras along Interstate 380, saying at least two do not comply with a new rule governing how close the cameras can be to signs indicating a speed limit change.

It could mean thousands of speeding tickets were issued by cameras that don't meet the standards of a state administrative rule change in February 2014.

'It appears some of the I-380 speed cameras are within 1,000 feet of a speed limit change,' Steve Gent, Iowa Department of Transportation director of traffic and safety, wrote in an Aug. 22 email to the Cedar Rapids Police Department. 'This is not allowed as per Administrative Rule 761—144.6.'

Gent has requested the police department document the distances for each of the speed cameras on I-380, and provide a response within 30 days.

Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman acknowledged two of the cameras on I-380 are within 1,000 feet of a change of speed sign, and he was aware of the proximity before the DOT email. He said the J Avenue southbound camera is 895 feet away and the Diagonal Drive northbound camera is 860 feet away.

When asked why the cameras were used after the rule change, Jerman brought up the location of the speed limit signs as a factor of compliance, and said those signs don't belong to Cedar Rapids.

He said the department still is determining a response to the DOT.

Cedar Rapids speed cameras on Interstate 380