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Cities Threaten Lawsuits If State Brings Back Traffic Camera Rules
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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There are sticking points in the debate over the transportation budget beyond how much to raise the gas tax. One of them is whether the state should impose new rules on communities using traffic cameras.
Rules on speed and red light cameras are in the House transportation budget, but not the Senate’s.
Nan Whaley is the mayor of Dayton, one of several cities using cameras, which she said make streets and intersections safer. Whaley said cities should have the right to control their cameras, and lawmakers should note that cities have already won the traffic camera battle in the Ohio Supreme Court.
“Let us not have the same fight again. We will sue again. We will win again, and we will have a bad relationship. We want to turn the page. We’re showing them we want to turn the page. We’re asking the legislature to do the same,” Whaley said.
Lawmakers have long been split over traffic cameras, with some agreeing with cities that they improve safety and others saying they’re a cash grab.