Speed cameras outside school zones wouldn’t need review after success
Feb 24, 2014, 6:38 AM | Updated: 6:53 am
Under a bill sponsored by Representative Jake Fey that has cleared the House and is being heard by the Senate Monday, those cameras would no longer need to be reviewed by the legislature after several successful years. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
Whether you like them or hate them, speed cameras are only allowed in school zones in Washington, except in very specific locations, and that’s not going to change under a bill being considered in the legislature.
The legislature must approve any speed camera outside of a school zone, and those cameras must show a reduction in crashes or an increase in safety to be continued. There are only two of them in the state, one in Tacoma the other in Seattle.
Under a bill sponsored by Representative Jake Fey that has cleared the House and is being heard by the Senate Monday, those cameras would no longer need to be reviewed by the legislature after several successful years.
“It seemed, given that we’ve demonstrated the success of this, in this one particular area, that it seemed silly to be asking the legislature to include it in its budget every two years.”
The stretch of River Road in Tacoma near the Emerald Queen Casino has gotten drivers’ attention. Fey said there were only eight crashes in that spot last year, down from 40 in years past.
Fey said this will not lead to an expansion of speed cameras, though it does open the door for cities and counties to make them permanent if they are approved by the legislature.
