Breaking Springfield's Speed Addiction

Tired of squealing tires and speeding cars on Mountain Avenue and elsewhere? Springfield officials are looking at solutions. But be prepared; your days of blowing red lights if no one's looking could soon be through.

At their March 9 meeting, Springfield's Township Committee heard from a company interested in installing red light cameras in the town. At that meeting and at their March 23 meeting, the Committee discussed a proposed ordinance that would establish ways that Springfield residents can request that the township install traffic calming measures on Municipal roads.

Charles Callari of American Traffic Solutions presented the case for red light cameras. The cameras would be installed at no out of pocket cost to the town. Instead, ATS would receive what Callari termed a "sliver" of the ticket revenue, between 20 and 30 percent.

As with an E-Z Pass violation, no points would be accrued when the motorist is caught on the camera. ATS installs their digital cameras 100 feet from intersections on freestanding poles. Callari touted the resolution of the 16 mega pixel cameras, noting that they were able to capture other violations in addition to running red lights.

Callari said that in other towns where the cameras were installed, such as New Jersey towns Linden and Wayne, 60 percent of the tickets were charged to people coming in from out of town. Callari said that towns that install the cameras initially see a slight increase in rear end collisions, but that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

The cameras could be a boon for local law enforcement, Callari said. While officers would not have to monitor the camera feeds—ATS would pore over the footage at their office—police officers would have access to the footage, which could be used as a tool to track automobiles connected to crimes. Callaris said the cameras had been instrumental in breaking up a theft ring in Tennessee.

Cathleen Lewis, a spokesperson for AAA New Jersey said that the motorist advocacy group recognizes the safety benefit of the cameras, but believe municipalities should install them for the right reasons.

"One of our concern is that they should be in place for safety reasons, not revenue reasons," Lewis said in a phone interview.

Shortly after the ATS presentation, Springfield Mayor Ziad Shehady stressed that the cameras were being considered for public safety reasons, not as a revenue-generating measure.

Residents worried about speeding on streets without red lights would have an avenue of pursuing traffic calming measures if ordinance 2010-04 passes. Under the terms of the ordinance, after a property owners request that the township install traffic calming measures, and half of the property owners in the area sign a petition supporting the request, the township would have the police conduct a traffic study of the area.

If the road is found to have an average traffic volume of less than 3000 cars per day, be over a required length and have a speed limit of 30 mph or less, the township would install traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and speed tables.

What roads are the worst for speeding? Let me know. adamb@patch.com