The traffic enforcement cameras that in many cities across Colorado amass millions of dollars annually from citations were lauded Monday as necessary to enhance public safety, even as lawmakers move forward with a proposal to ban statewide use of the devices.
“All of our research, all of our data and all of our statistical review from 2005, when we put red-light cameras in place, has shown they significantly decrease the total overall number of accidents at those intersections,” said Cmdr. Dustin Varney of the Greenwood Village Police Department. “We’re also a home-rule state. It should be left up to the municipalities to decide if these cameras are the best option.”
About a dozen representatives from police departments testified in opposition to the proposal. The measure would bar cities and counties from using automated vehicle-identification systems to pinpoint drivers committing traffic infractions.
Also speaking in opposition were representatives of organizations that advocate for the disabled and lobbyists for companies that make the cameras.
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has coalesced around the legislation, saying they believe the cameras are merely cash traps for local municipalities and that the devices do nothing to enhance public safety. The measure passed out of a Senate committee on a 3-2 vote and was amended to exempt Colorado toll roads. It’s expected to see additional amendments on the Senate floor.
Sen. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, the Senate co-sponsor of the proposal, criticized Denver for raking in cash when a vehicle’s tires “simply touch the white crosswalk line.”
In 2013, Denver handed out about 35,000 red-light photo tickets and nearly 195,000 speeding photo tickets, according to officials. Combined, the city made about $7.8 million on the infraction. Greenwood Village has no photo speeding cameras, and its three red-light cameras generated $595,000 in revenue last year.
Varney said that since red-light cameras were placed at three intersections, the city has seen accidents decrease significantly. For example, Varney said, at the intersection of Belleview Avenue and Quebec Street, 74 accidents occurred in 2005. Each year that number has decreased, and in 2013 there were 40 accidents.
Curtis Garrett, vice chairman of Denver’s Commission for People with Disabilities, said the cameras are a “matter of life and death.”
“If a car pulls into an intersection and a person who is blind or in a wheelchair has to go around them, they can easily get clipped by other cars driving through that intersection,” Garrett said.
Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, a sponsor alongside Guzman, said last week “intersections should be about safety, not money.”
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee
