At last night's meeting of the Scottsdale City Council, in front of an overflow crowd, the Council heard the Technical Evaluation Report concerning their experiment with speed cameras on a 6.5 mile stretch of Loop 101 in Scottsdale.
Summary of the report by Dr. Simon Washington of ASU:
It worked.
Among the highlights:
During the program, there was a decrease in the average speed on the stretch of highway of more than 9.4 miles per hour.
After the "citations" period of the program, observations continued and recorded an 825% increase in "weekday detections" of vehicles driving faster than 75 mph.
In the study area, traffic accidents were reduced across the board, with the exception of a slight rise in rear end collisions.
I guess not everybody slowed down right away.
Injuries were reduced, too.
It was noted that while the study area is the most dangerous stretch of freeway in Scottsdale, it isn't the most dangerous stretch along Loop 101. In fact, it is better than average.
That fact was used to support Dr. Washington's opinion, prompted by questions from the council, that not only could other areas of the freeway system benefit from a similar system, those areas might see better results.
During the Council's discussion of the report, it was evident that even those members who were initially skeptical, such as Vice-Mayor Jim Lane, felt that the safety data supported reactivating the system and implementing it Valley-wide.
It was also evident that most of the Council felt that the state should take over the program, and also that the revenue from the program should be dedicated to funding the Department of Public Safety (DPS) or to funding public safety programs in the cities in which the cameras are located.
The Council also expressed dissatisfaction with a proposal co-sponsored by Rep. Michele Reagan (R-LD8) to reduce fines and the severity of other penalties for violations detected by "photo enforcement systems." (HB2442)
In the end, the Council voted unanimously to ask the state to take over the cameras and turn them back on.
Note: I was initially skeptical; not of the program or its effectiveness, but of the Council's motivation for supporting it. In approximately 9 months, the City netted over $800,000 in revenue after costs were paid. I believed that, from the Council's perspective, the revenue stream benefits outweighed any safety benefits. However, their expressed desire to have the state take over the program and direct the revenue to public safety programs has convinced me that my skepticism may have been unfounded.
On the other hand, it *is* the Scottsdale City Council, so a little skepticism is always warranted. :)
In other news from the council meeting, they voted to raise the salaries of the City's charter officers - the City Manager, Attorney, Auditor, and Clerk. There was some dissent over the City Manager's raise (it passed 4 - 3), but they all were approved.
There were also a number of appointments to various city boards and commissions, including one of note to readers of this blog: Stephanie Rimmer, former Democratic candidate for State Representative in LD8, was appointed to the Scottsdale Pride Commission.
The marked agenda for the meeting is here.
EV Trib coverage here and here.
AZ Republic coverage here, here, and here.
Later!
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