With a little more than six months until Election Day and poll numbers much improved, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper appears to be in a comfortable position as he seeks a second term in office.
But as the legislature comes to a close, an issue has arisen that some political observers say puts the governor in a tough spot: whether to support a ban on red-light and speeding cameras.
As a bipartisan proposal to prohibit the devices easily passed out the Senate this week and enters the House, the governor has been reluctant to stake out a clear position, saying he hasn’t read the most recent version of the bill, when questioned by reporters.
“If I’m the governor, this is one I don’t want to see make it to my desk,” said John Straayer, a Colorado State University political science professor. “There’s too many mixed feelings on this from the public. People hate getting nailed on it. But when it comes to public safety, it’s different.”
Some loathe the money-making devices that dole out tickets for infractions that include car tires grazing white crosswalk lines. While others, like police officers, laud the use of cameras to keep pedestrians and drivers safe.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, about a half dozen states ban the use of photo radar to ticket drivers, with Colorado now looking to join that group.
Hickenlooper is no stranger to the use of red-light cameras.
As mayor of Denver in 2010, Hickenlooper outlined plans to raise the fines accrued from photo red-light cameras to help close a $100 million budget gap. Although in 2007, Hickenlooper’s spokeswoman at the time said the goal of red-light cameras is not to increase revenue but to promote safety.
Mark Radtke, legislative and policy advocate for the Colorado Municipal League, said it’s a local control issue that the state should remain out of.
“Members of city council, county commissioners, these people know the issues of the their cities better than anyone. They should make the decisions,” Radtke said.
Radtke and officials from the city of Denver and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police have called on Hickenlooper to veto the measure if it arrives on his desk.
A poll released Wednesday from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling found that 50 percent of Coloradans support red-light cameras at “dangerous intersections” to discourage drivers from running red lights, while 39 percent do not.
Greenwood Village has no photo speeding camera, and its three red-light camera generated about $595,000 of revenue last year.
Greenwood Village police say the red-light cameras have helped reduce accidents. For example, 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.
House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, who leaves office after this year because of term limits, said he has the votes to get the bill passed out of a House committee Monday. He, along with several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, have argued red-light cameras just create revenue for cities and don’t actually increase public safety at intersections.
“It’s really one of those items where Hickenlooper, no matter what his position is, he’ll upset some people,” said political analyst Floyd Ciruli. “He hasn’t used his veto all that often, and this could be interesting time to use it.”
Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655, klee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kurtisalee
