DES MOINES — After years of working to regulate traffic enforcement cameras in Iowa, with competing opinions on how far to go, Iowa House lawmakers passed a bill on Tuesday that would require state approval for traffic cameras and restrict them to certain areas.
Republican state lawmakers have long sought to rein in the use of speed cameras and red-light cameras that have proliferated across the state. Lawmakers have argued they are often abused by local governments to drive up revenue from tickets, but police officials have resisted the measures, saying they are a vital part of cities' public safety strategy.
The bill, House File 2681, passed the House 85-12 on Tuesday. The Senate has a similar bill that is eligible for a floor vote.
The bill would require local governments receive a permit from the Department of Transportation before installing a traffic camera system and require that they be installed only in high-risk areas. The city or county would need to report the severity of traffic collisions at the location they want to install a camera, and show that the camera is the least restrictive method of improving public safety.
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There are around 25 cities in the state with traffic cameras currently in place, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.
Some Republican lawmakers wanted to amend the bill to ban the use of speed cameras entirely, but the measure failed to gain majority support on the floor, with a vote of 47-50.
Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, introduced the amendment, and said he believed the cameras are an infringement of constitutional rights. He said he has constituents who received tickets when someone else was driving their car, which he said was unfair.
“These cameras are not fair, they’re not something that we should be doling out justice in a way that is not fair to all of our citizens in this state,” he said. “These traffic cameras are speed traps. I don’t believe they’re constitutional.”
Rep. Brian Best, R-Glidden, who managed the House bill and opposed the full ban, said the bill was a compromise that will restrict unnecessary traffic cameras while allowing their use where it is needed.
“We have to do something,” he said. “And without this amendment and this bill, we will be doing nothing, and I think there’s going to be a lot of unwanted and unneeded traffic cameras that are going to keep springing up.”
Democratic Rep. Sami Scheetz, who represents Cedar Rapids, said the cameras on the “S-curve” on Interstate 380 in the city have dramatically reduced injuries from collisions and the number of police stops on the road.
According to a 2022 report from the City of Cedar Rapids, the likelihood of a crash on the S-curve causing injury was cut by nearly half when a traffic camera was in use, and the number of collisions was reduced by 15.5%.
“This technology not only saves lives by reducing high-speed accidents, but it also protects our first responders by minimizing risky traffic stops,” Scheetz said.
How can traffic cameras be used under the bill?
Under the bill, cities would need to gain approval from the DOT before installing traffic cameras. Cities with existing systems would need to apply for approval, and they could continue using the cameras until their request is processed.
Only cities and counties with a population of more than 20,000 would be allowed to issue a fine using a traffic camera, which encompasses around 25 of Iowa’s largest cities. Smaller cities would still be allowed to install traffic cameras, if approved, but they could only issue a written warning.
The cities would not be able to issue a ticket unless a driver was driving more than 10 miles over the speed limit, and the maximum amount would range from $75 to $500 based on the speed, or up to $1,000 in a work zone.
Any revenue collected by the systems would be restricted for use on transportation infrastructure or police and fire departments.