Lee County is installing speed cameras along some major roads. (photo by Will Buss)
Southeast Iowa’s Lee County is joining the growing list of Iowa communities that are placing cameras along roadways to discourage and penalize speeders.
Lee County’s Board of Supervisors has voted to have a contractor install cameras along the major roads, monitor traffic, and mail citations — after the sheriff’s department reviews the video footage. County Supervisor Garry Seyb considers the cameras a safety measure but acknowledges some people won’t like the idea.
“Their initial thought processes behind it are not necessarily positive or not that positive of experiences with the cameras,” Seyb says, “but I think everyone recognizes that we have some pretty big issues right now, especially on Highway 27.” A study found more than half of the six-thousand drivers who recently traveled along that highway were speeding, with 20% of them exceeding the speed limit by more than 20 miles an hour. The county will pay the contractor 20% of the revenue collected from speeding tickets.
Other Iowa communities that have red light cameras, speed cameras, or both include: Cedar Rapids, Clive, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Muscatine, Polk County, Sioux City and Windsor Heights.
(By Will Buss, Tri States Public Radio)