Iowa cities would have to get Iowa DOT approval for speed cameras placed along highways and interstates under a bill that’s been introduced in the Iowa House.
The DOT rolled out this policy over a decade ago, but in 2014 the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the agency didn’t have authority to regulate traffic cameras. This bill would change that and require cities to submit yearly reports to the DOT showing speed camers are in spots along highways and interstates that are at high risk for crashes or unsafe for police to make in-person traffic stops.
Frank Chiodo, a lobbyist for the Metropolitan Coalition that represents Iowa’s 10 largest cities, described the bill is an alternative to a traffic camera ban that preserves speed cameras placed in positions based on evidence and the severity of traffic crashes in the area.
“Over the past several years we have pushed for a regulatory framework,” Chiodo said this morning during a House subcommittee hearing. “…House Study Bill 740 is a great start.”
There are speed cameras along the Interstate-380 S-curve in downtown Cedar Rapids and Cedar Rapids Police Chief David Dostal told lawmakers there’s been a reduction in serious injury crashes over the past three years. “There’s a change in traffic behavior, resulting in traffic safety,” Dostal said.
Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert said the bill is long overdue. “There are jurisdictions out there that are doing it the right way, some that are not,” Wingert said. “…The things I see in this bill are things we’re already doing.”
The bill would not give the Iowa DOT authority to regulate traffic cameras that issue tickets for vehicles caught speeding or running red lights on city streets.