By Laura Bailey
Several Bristol residents shared their thoughts about the potential installation of traffic cameras to improve road safety at up to 20 locations around the city at the Ordinance Committee meeting Tuesday evening.
Debbie Streeter, a Pine Street resident, spoke passionately in favor of the cameras, citing speeding as a major concern in her neighborhood.
“Totally, totally in favor,” Streeter said. “The speed limit clearly says 35 mph, yet I lived there for seven years, and I have yet to see anybody go 35 miles an hour. They speed on that road at about 70, 80 mph. Telephone poles have been hit many, many times. Sounds like my house is falling down.”
However, hers was the sole voice to speak in favor the cameras.
The proposal stems from a state mandate requiring cities to meet specific criteria before installing red-light cameras at intersections with a history of accidents or fatalities.
Mayor Jeff Caggiano addressed the committee at the beginning of the meeting to explain that the city has already identified 20 possible locations for the cameras, though the installation would still require approval from the state. Once approved, the permits would remain valid for three years before needing renewal.
“There are 20 potential locations that we can put these,” Caggiano said. “The state has already set into place that they do need to have certain criteria met before you put up a red light camera; that we have had accidents and that deaths that have occurred.”
The proposed system would automatically issue tickets to drivers who run red lights, with fines set at $50 for a first offense and $75 for each subsequent violation. These tickets would be issued without the need for a police officer to be present at the scene.
District 2 City Councilor Sue Tyler, who served as a police officer for over three decades, raised concerns about the potential impact on community trust.
“If we trade personal interaction with our highly trained men and women in blue for a private vendor performing their duties, the city of Bristol loses big time,” Tyler said. “We are opening a door that we will regret. It will undermine public trust and it will not promote education prevention of traffic crashes, nor keep our roads safe.”
Tyler also argued that drivers would eventually adapt to the cameras, finding ways to avoid them.
“Drivers are savvy at identifying and avoiding permanently installed traffic cameras and none of this will contribute to promoting better driving and safer roads,” she said.
(Left) City Councilor Sue Tyler. (Right) Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano. | JoAnn Moran
Bristol resident Gene Manson spoke about other options that could be put in place instead of the red light cameras, one of the suggestions being more speed bumps in high traffic areas.
Other residents expressed concerns about the security of the data collected by the cameras. Art Mocabee, warned about the potential for hacking and data breaches, suggesting that personal information could be compromised and shared on the internet.
“There is evidence that these cameras are on the internet,” Bristol Resident Mocabee, said, “or the data is on the internet and subject to hacking and whatnot and personal information is made widely available to the deep dark web.”
Tom Hick, another resident, voiced concerns over unlicensed and uninsured drivers, suggesting that the cameras may not effectively target the real issue.
“I’m much more worried about the unlicensed drivers cruising around unregistered uninsured vehicles,” Tom Hick said,” and those people probably have plans that don’t belong to them.”
The next steps will see the Ordinance Committee continuing its deliberations. The committee is expected to revisit the discussion at its next meeting on Feb. 4.
Members of the committee were given time to address the issue.
“We’re discussing this and it’s something that we really have to do our due diligence on,” committee chair and City Councilor Sebastian Panioto said, “and we’re being deliberate about it and we do have a draft we’re working with.”
“That is an emergency hazard,” District 3 City Councilor Mark Dickau said, “so that’s the one thing that’s definitely not a good thing for the streets.”
“The input today gave us more questions to ask,” District 3 City Councilor Cheryl Thibeault said. “I see this as a slow roll before we come to that decision but ultimately this does need to go to a bigger public hearing. I’m looking forward to that because I’m getting a lot of voices against for, so we just need to balance that for the best tool and the best means for our city.”
Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org
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