Lorain traffic cameras studying violations

LORAIN — Two traffic cameras in Lorain are studying violations, according to the safety/service director. The cameras, up on the northbound side of Leavitt Road near Church on the North Coast and at East 28th Street and Elyria Avenue, are there on a trial basis, Dan Given said, and are not costing the city anything. Manufactured by Gatso, the camera on Leavitt Road is monitoring speed, while the one at 28th and Elyria is a red light camera. Neither are issuing tickets but are logging violations. "if it's used properly, it can be used as a very good tool and to control violations," Given said. Given said traffic cameras have come up several times before, and this project has been years in the making. There have been discussions with Police Chief Cel Rivera, Capt. Roger Watkins and members of the department's traffic bureau before the trial was started. He said if the study yields there is a problem with traffic violations in those areas, further discussions will be held with the camera manufacturer, Lorain police and City Council. Given did not know the exact date of the camera's installation, as the location was left up to discussions with Lorain police — based on their own data of high crash or violation areas — and permission from Ohio Edison to place the cameras on its poles, but believed they had been in place for a week or two. During Tuesday's City Council meeting, Mary Springowski, D-at Large, questioned why the issue was not brought before Council prior to the cameras going up. Angel Arroyo, D-Ward 6, echoed similar concerns. Given said the administration was not trying to hide anything from City Council or the public. If the city decides to move forward and enter into a contract with the company, it will come before Council after being cleared by the law department. Something the city will have to consider is the legality of the cameras. Cases involving other municipalities' programs have gone as high as the state Supreme Court. In May, the high court sided with Toledo, allowing it to continue its traffic camera program unhindered. In a further effort to curb the cameras, legislation as part of the state transportation budget states if a city's revenue from fines exceeds what it receives in state funding, the following year's funding amount will be reduced. An injunction on the measure was granted in Lucas County court in July, with the case still pending. "You've got the whole issue of the state — I couldn't tell you right now whether or not cameras are acceptable or not acceptable in Ohio based upon how they're challenged," Given said. "That's why it's like this whole uproar — and I saw the things on the internet — it's totally preliminary. Yeah, we're running data. It's no different than having a cop sit on the road with the traffic camera ... this is a modern approach to gathering data for us to determine what kind of problems are out there." Given said officials from Lorain have met with counterparts from Newburgh Heights, which operates its own traffic camera program, getting suggestions on how best to implement the program and what issues to be aware of. Given said they were told residents usually remember where the cameras are and follow the traffic laws more closely in those areas, leaving outsiders to feel the potential pinch of a ticket. If implemented, signs would be placed as motorists enter the city warning of the traffic enforcement, not specifically at each camera location. He said if the city moves forward, it could look at having a mobile camera, which can be used to monitor problem areas as residents report them, rather than sitting a police officer there for a partial or full shift. An officer would review the logs from the camera, deciding if images were clear enough and violations reasonable enough to warrant a ticket mailed to the vehicle's registered owner. Those tickets would not go against a driver's record or put points on his or her license. If left unpaid, a person's license could not be revoked, he said, instead affecting their credit similar to an unpaid utility bill. "If it's allowable and if we have a problem, it's an opportunity to help make our community safer and provide services where we otherwise may not have been able to provide services," Given said. Contact Carissa Woytach at 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.