/ Modified jan 6, 2014 12:29 p.m.

Pima County Considers Traffic Camera Changes

Board to choose whether to turn them off, keep them on, or change how traffic cameras work.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors will consider changing its photo traffic enforcement program Tuesday.

Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry recommended last year that the board let the contract for the photo enforcement of speeding on county roads expire. The contract end date is midnight, but Huckelberry said the cameras will stay on until the board makes a decision Tuesday.

“It’s only a one-day period and the question is, 'does the board want to continue?' And if we turn them off one day, the board says the next day ‘we want to continue’ then it’s just a double effort to reestablish and reinitiate the operation of those cameras," he said.

Another option is to renew the contract and let the permanent cameras along county roads continue operating.

The photo enforcement system, operated by American Traffic Solutions, takes photos of vehicles going 11 or more miles over the speed limit. The photo and recorded speed are sent to the Pima County Sheriff's Department for an officer to review them. If the deputy finds the evidence adds up, a citation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.

American Traffic Solutions is proposing another option to the board.

"Turn off two-thirds of them, keep five of them," Huckelberry said. Additionally, "put some more traffic cameras at school crossing zones. And it’s that proposal from the firm that we’re taking to the board tomorrow to say, ‘do you want to continue this program in a modified version?’"

The board is scheduled to consider the options at its regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 9 a.m.

Any decision it makes will not affect the stationary or mobile cameras in the city of Tucson.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona