Milwaukee Asks Again for Red Light Cameras To Nab Speeders

Mayor Cavalier Johnson speaks at an automated traffic enforcement press conference. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The City of Milwaukee is again trying to get the Wisconsin State Legislature to allow it to use automated enforcement cameras to cite excessive speeders and red light runners.

“Automated traffic enforcement (ATE) programs are proven to reduce crashes, proven to reduce injuries and proven to reduce fatalities on the roadways as well. ATE programs are especially effective in large cities and have reduced all crashes by 54% and injury crashes by 47% on urban roads,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson at a press conference Monday morning in citing a federal report.

The new bill, which marks at least the fifth attempt to get similar legislation passed, would allow the city to issue citations when a vehicle is captured going more than 15 mph over the speed limit or running a red light. It includes limits on where cameras could be placed and restrictions on what the city could do with the money.

For the mayor, it’s about achieving the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths. “It’s clear that more work must be done and new tools must be deployed to save lives,” he said.

“As a state, we have a job and it’s to give our local government the tools they need to ensure that there is healthy and safe communities,” said lead sponsor Sen. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee). “And this is what this bill does. The Safe Roads Saves Lives Act aims to reduce reckless driving and traffic accidents.”

Drake, speaking at a press conference in front of the Atkinson Library, said opponents of the traffic cameras have labeled them a “cash cow” for the city. She said the latest bill responds to those concerns. Draft language indicates that any proceeds, above the cost of operating the system, could only be used for “traffic enforcement, traffic safety programs and traffic safety infrastructure.”

“We are focused on ensuring that people’s lives are protected, that they are safe and that the city of Milwaukee and law enforcement professionals and all partners alike have the tools necessary to keep our community safe,” said Drake.

“This bill is about giving Milwaukee the ability to protect its people. Nothing more, nothing less,” said Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee).

Cameras could only be sited in locations where city data shows a high crash rate. No more than five cameras could be placed in a single aldermanic district. Photo enforcement signs and posted speed limits would be required near areas with speed cameras.

The bill would require the city to run a 30-day awareness campaign in advance of deploying the cameras and then, for the first 90 days, issue only warnings, not citations. The enforcement areas would be required to be posted online. The owners of stolen vehicles could not be penalized.

While the city has waited for legislation to be passed, it has seen reckless driving increase.

“If you live in Milwaukee, you know reckless driving isn’t just an issue, it’s a crisis,” said LaTonya Johnson.

A Wisconsin Policy Forum report found that traffic deaths involving speeding have grown 270% since 2002. Johnson, the state senator, said deaths are up 65% since 2011.

“Speeding is the primary factor that makes crashes deadly or have very bad health outcomes for people involved, so lowering speeds is absolutely essential,” said the city’s Vision Zero coordinator Jessica Wineberg. “Traffic safety cameras are safe and effective. Traffic safety cameras are collaborative and transparent. Traffic safety cameras are common sense and traffic safety cameras are safe and effective.”

The Vision Zero director said the city has clear hot spots to target due to the concentration of crashes in certain areas. She said that 59% of the city’s crashes involving death or serious injuries occur on only 9% of the city’s streets.

Wineberg said that 62% of respondents to a city traffic safety survey associated with its Vision Zero effort support using cameras for red light and speeding ticketing. The Common Council is to review the city’s proposed Vision Zero action plan, which includes leveraging cameras, later this week.

“When someone runs a red light at 60 miles per hour, we shouldn’t have to wait for the next funeral to do something about it,” said LaTonya Johnson.

“When I was elected mayor a few years ago, the number one thing people wanted me to address was reckless driving,” said the mayor. He said the cameras was a “tool in the toolbox” to address the issue.

The lead sponsor of the Assembly version of the bill is Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville), said Drake. Assembly representatives Kalan Haywood II (D-Milwaukee) and Karen Kirsch (D-Greenfield) also attended the press conference.

The proposal is backed by the Greater Milwaukee Committee, whose CEO Joel Brennan and executive committee member Betsy Brenner both attended the press conference. Héctor Colón of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan and Dan Steininger of the Hoan Foundation also attended in support. Milwaukee Police Department Assistant Chief Steven Johnson stood with the speakers.

Mariah Johnson, who lost her brother three years ago when he was hit by a car participating in a street race that reached 100 mph, endorsed the proposal. “I am so tired and so beaten down about riding down the same streets every single day and seeing crashes every day,” she said. “Our large city simply cannot have police officers on every corner, but cameras can be their force multipliers.”

If the proposal is to pass, it needs to advance through the Senate Committee on Judiciary & Public Safety, chaired by Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), a former police officer and opponent of camera enforcement.

“He believes that they are just cash grabs that do nothing to actually change behavior. If you want to change behavior, you need a man (or woman) on the street, enforcing the law, not a mailed ticket three weeks later,” said a spokesperson for the senator via email Monday.

The senator’s office said it had not seen the latest iteration of the bill. Drake said she intends to formally introduce the bill later this week.

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