The day after LCG's traffic department released figures showing a 58 percent decline in crashes near intersections with cameras that ticket speeders, the Lafayette City-Parish Council voted 6-3 to continue funding the enforcement program. All of the money comes from fines collected by the SafeLight and SafeSpeed (the latter uses vans equipped with radars) program and is being used for maintenance and expansion. The Advocate reported today:
City-Parish Traffic and Transportation Director Tony Tramel returned to the council with a scaled-down funding request for $45,620 after the council in December denied an initial request for $152,500. The traffic cameras were approved by the prior council, but the council — all new members who took office last year — have had increasing questions about the enforcement program in recent months. Some council members have questioned its management and worry about a pending state lawsuit challenging the program’s constitutionality.
Read the full Advocate story here.