Red Light Cameras Would Help Milwaukee Curb Reckless Driving
Statement from Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II
I want to applaud the recent effort of a group of bipartisan lawmakers in Madison who introduced the Safe Roads Save Lives Act. If passed, this legislation would allow the Milwaukee Police Department to use computerized radar and photo ID cameras to detect when someone is driving over the speed limit or when they run a red light.
Reckless driving continues to plague all parts of our city, and continues to lead to unnecessary injury and loss of life. Whenever I hear about a fatal auto accident, or see crash debris at intersections throughout my district, I grow increasingly frustrated because I know many of these instances were avoidable.
The city has worked to make sizable investments and policy decisions to combat this issue. Milwaukee police officers now have the ability to tow unregistered vehicles and other cars cited for reckless driving, excessive speed, fleeing from officers and drag racing. The Traffic Safety Unit has had a successful first year. And tens of millions of dollars in engineering solutions including speed bumps, curb extensions, traffic circles, restriping to fewer travel lanes, and more have been and will continue to be installed citywide in compliance with the Complete Streets Program.
Even with the progress that has been made we can always use more tools in our tool belt, and that is what the red light cameras would be – not the only solution, but another way in which we can hold reckless drivers accountable and deter their behavior.
While we work on these solutions at City Hall I will also continue my call to the community. We need to talk to young men and young women about following basic, essential traffic rules. I will also keep urging people to be defensive drivers, and I hope the community joins me in spreading this message.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Ald. Russell Stamper, II
Yes, keep pretending like those running red lights have valid license plates.
My experience down here in Chicago with our growing number of red light and *speeding* cameras is that they have made a tremendous difference along previously dangerous thoroughfares. Drive 6 MPH over the limit and you get ticketed if you or someone driving your car is caught by a camera. Ditto for red light cameras.
The dynamic at play here is that people have started taking these zones seriously. The impact is that, with all these cars driving at or below the limit, there’s no room to speed. It is not simply about deterrence or punishment of individual drivers. It is about changing behaviors en masse, too. The single thing that keeps me from speeding–aside from being in a camera zone–is everyone in front of me and next to me driving the limit…there’s no where to speed so you go with the flow, baby!
To be sure, red light and speeding cameras aren’t the only traffic calming methods around, but they are an effective, *no nonsense* method for dealing with speeding and other illegal moving violations side-by-side with other methods.
And if the car is stolen (500 so far in JANUARY) what good will it do? Don’t pretend you are doing something about it. You will just find it stripped in the best of neighborhoods in our fair city when they are don’t wrecking it…and your…car.
This seems like a reasonably limited way to deal with reckless driving. Saving even one child or adult would be great. But after seeing how the traffic cams system was abused in Chicago to make millions off of fake violations, I am concerned. How would the city know who is driving an offending car? The cameras are good but not that good. I do not run red lights so I have no problem there. I do have serious concerns with the profit motive associated with these as happened in Chicago.
Red light cameras serve much the same function as security cameras outside buildings, inside buildings, and inside stores. They are invaluable aids in deterring and solving crimes. Automobile drivers are licensed by the state and operate in public areas at intersections with safety concerns. It is a wise choice to use red light cameras in those areas.
Why are security cameras in stores, outside buildings, at sports events, inside public transit, and inside government as well as private buildings? Why would automobile drivers have a special claim on secrecy on a public street? What is it about automobile drivers that would grant them assistance to not comply with traffic laws and also have a barrier granted to them–like an invisibility cloak–that would thwart the detection of violations and enforcement of laws?
There are very valid concerns about detection of plates, accuracy, enforcement, identification, and due process in the use of cameras, but those issues can be intelligently addressed. Red light cameras, of course, would not prevent all traffic crimes, but to dismiss the use of the cameras entirely would be to grant a security hole in our traffic system that would never be solved.
@John December x 1,000!
I will just drive crazy after I steal a car a wear a hoodie. Catch me if you can.
A couple of observations in support of Polaris’ and John December’s comments. Red light cameras have been installed where I live over the past year or two. A few months ago, I was in a hurry, and, like many others, when the light turned yellow, I took that to mean, “speed up.” A few weeks later, I got a $75 summons in the mail, with a photo of my car passing a red light. I’m quite certain, I won’t make the same mistake twice. In Milwaukee, cruising through stop signs and red lights has become a bad habit. People are used to it. Cameras and summons may be the best way to break that habit.
As for DAGDAG’s comment, “whataboutism” and trying to be clever are getting kind of boring.