Indianapolis, Indiana – A bill that would authorize the use of speed cameras in construction zones is going to be reintroduced in the Indiana legislature.
The proposal has been debated at the Statehouse for a number of years. During the most recent session, it was finally able to pass in the Senate, marking the most significant step forward it had ever taken. However, after it had been considered by the Ways and Means Committee, it was never put to a vote by the entire House.
“Driver behavior has gone downhill,” said Richard Hedgecock, president of Indiana Constructors, Inc.
Hedgecock’s organization, which is comprised of 200 different businesses across the state, has been a supporter of the bill.
The 12 other states where speed cameras are already in use “have seen the number of cars speeding in a work zone decrease from 7% or higher to 1%,” Hedgecock said.
The proposal being considered in the Statehouse would establish a pilot program for the use of speed cameras. According to State Representative Jim Pressel (R-Rolling Prairie), who has been a supporter of the bill in the House for a number of years, the technology would issue tickets to motorists who were traveling at least 11 miles per hour faster than the speed limit in an active work zone.
“Technology continues to get better,” Pressel said. “And we need to figure out a way to use that technology to keep not only the construction workers safe in those highways and the interstates but the motorists, too.”
Republicans have been unable to agree on anything. “A Google search without much effort is going to show you that places around the country have had real issues with these things,” said State Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis), who voted against the bill last year.
Freeman stated that he has some reservations about the effectiveness of the technology, which takes pictures of the license plates of vehicles that exceed the speed limit. He contends that increasing the number of police patrols is a superior alternative to the situation.
“We need to talk about our law enforcement, and we need to talk about do we not have enough of them, and let’s get more people in uniform and park them there,” Freeman said.
A number of senators have expressed their support for this measure as well. Before it can be voted on by the entire House or Senate, it must first be discussed in the relevant committees.
