Editorial: Traffic cameras

The Storm Lake City Council is looking into traffic cameras as a way to reduce speeding and other violations. A bill moved forward this week in the Iowa Legislature that would regulate how those cameras can be used. Republicans managing the bill say that the cameras are solely revenue-generators — Cedar Rapids scoops up over $8 million per year, according to the Legislative Services Agency. Legislators complain that a quarter of the revenue is going back to the companies who sell the systems.

The bill would require signage warning drivers of speed cameras. It would allow only warnings, and not citations, from the sort of mobile camera system that Storm Lake contemplates. Fixed cameras could be used to issue citations, and thus generate revenue. Cities would have to seek approval from the Iowa Department of Transportation, submitting data on why certain routes deserve speed cameras.

The bill could affect how Storm Lake approaches traffic cameras. Police say that they would help with a lot of complaints about speeding. They would be less effective if only warnings may be issued from a mobile system, which appears to be what the legislature is targeting. There are companion bills in the House and Senate that will have to be reconciled, but they are making progress in these late days of the legislature.