Alan C. Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 Small Ohio town of 2200 people gets traffic cams and 6600 tickets in the first month Since installing two traffic cameras that record vehicle speed in September, Elmwood Place has been issuing citations at a rapid pace: 6,600 in the first month, or three times the number of village residents, with a reported $1.5 million in fines overall so far. It's not unusual for newly installed traffic cameras to anger people when they first open their mail to find photos, citation and a notice of the fine. But the blitz of $105 citations has roiled this economically struggling village for months. There have been petition drives, a councilman's asking the mayor to resign, calls on Facebook and other social media to boycott the village, and a lawsuit that alleges violations of constitutional rights. Arguments in the lawsuit are scheduled to resume Thursday in Hamilton County court. "It's just a money grab," said David Downs, one of the plaintiffs. "They did it all wrong. I understand they're hurting for money, but this is the wrong way to get it." Downs has owned St. Bernard Polishing Co. for 25 years. His small business sits just yards from a camera that sits where the speed limit drops to 25 mph from 35 mph. Big companies including consumer products maker Procter & Gamble Co. and jams maker J.M. Smucker Co. have facilities nearby. Police say as many as 18,000 vehicles a day pass through the one-third-square-mile village, many of them on their way to an Interstate 75 ramp. Downs said one of his longtime customers has already vowed not to return after getting speeding citations, and other customers are angry. Another plaintiff is the Rev. Chau Pham, whose Our Lady of Lavang Catholic Community Church had some 70 parishioners -- more than half -- get ticketed the day of a Sunday service in September. The church says the cameras have scared away a third of its Vietnamese congregation, most of whom come from out of town. I wonder if he understands the right way to get it, but I suspect not.
Alan C. Posted March 11, 2013 Author Posted March 11, 2013 Judge to village: No cameras A southwestern Ohio judge yesterday ordered a halt to a speeding-ticket blitz in avillage that installed traffic cameras, saying it’s “a scam” against motorists.
Recommended Posts