Traffic cameras eyed in Monroe
Published 8:09 pm Thursday, November 11, 2010
MONROE — The frontier of the battle over traffic enforcement cameras in Snohomish County has shifted east.
The city of Monroe plans within a few weeks to install cameras in front of two elementary schools to issue citations to drivers who exceed the speed limit.
“It’s really been at this point a way of trying to get the message across that safety is of the essence in our school zones,” Mayor Robert Zimmerman said.
The cameras will go up in front of Frank Wagner Elementary School at 115 Dickinson Road and at Fryelands Elementary School at 15286 Fryelands Blvd., the mayor said.
Tim Eyman, the Mukilteo initiative maven, has taken up the cause of opposing traffic enforcement cameras and, brimming with a recent success in his hometown, is hot on the scent of the plans in Monroe.
“Did he ever think of asking the voters?” Eyman said of the Monroe mayor.
Last week, Mukilteo voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to limit the city’s power to install enforcement cameras. Now, a public vote must be held when city officials want to install cameras to catch red-light runners or speeders. Fines are limited to $20, equal to the least expensive parking ticket, and a City Council super-majority is required to approve any installation.
The law’s roots can be traced to a petition started by Eyman last spring in protest of a plan by Mukilteo to install cameras in a school zone.
“The message from Mukilteo is pretty darn clear,” he said.
Until Monroe installs cameras, Lynnwood is the only city in the county to use photo traffic enforcement. Snohomish County officials briefly considered the idea last year.
Monroe did not put the issue up for a public vote, Zimmerman said. A hearing was held and there’s been little or no disagreement among elected city officials over the matter, he said.
The council actually approved the measure more than a year ago, but it took time for the city to reach an agreement with the camera company and to do legal research, Zimmerman said.
Numerous lawsuits have been filed around the nation over traffic cameras, primarily because of privacy issues.
“We want to make sure, in a process like this, we’re meeting all the criteria,” the mayor said.
Monroe has already used photo enforcement on a trial basis, using a van equipped with a camera stationed at the two schools during the month of October. The van was on loan from Redflex Traffic Systems of Phoenix, Ariz., Zimmerman said.
The company is installing the two new cameras at no charge but will reap a fee for the processing of the tickets, according to the mayor.
In October, photos were taken of vehicles that exceeded the speed limit and were sent to their owners’ addresses as a warning, without a fine attached. When the permanent cameras are installed, the fine will be $124, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said. The fines will not appear on drivers’ records, she said.
Speeding has been an issue in front of both schools, particularly at Fryelands Elementary, which on a busy thoroughfare, Zimmerman said. He said there have been no complaints about the camera used last month.
Eyman contends claims of safety are justification when in fact cities merely want raise money. In the case of Monroe, that’s not true, Zimmerman said.
“With regards to this I think he (Eyman) would find this is not a for-profit attempt here,” he said. “Having it in the school zones kind of reflects that principle and philosophy.”
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
