Iowa DOT: Shut down traffic cams that don't make road safer

Ten of 34 automated traffic enforcement cameras on or adjacent to Iowa highways must be shut down by April 17 because they are not making roads safer, the state's Department of Transportation ruled Tuesday.

Among the 10 that would be powered down are speed enforcement cameras on eastbound Interstate Highway 235 near Waveland Golf Course in Des Moines.

"We give out 43,000 tickets a year there to people who that are going 11 miles an hour or more over the speed limit," Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie said. "It's amazing to me that the DOT doesn't think that that is a safety issue."

Officials in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Muscatine and Sioux City have waited for more than 10 months to learn whether they could continue to operate speed and red-light violation cameras on or adjacent to highways, which the DOT has jurisdiction over. The DOT's rulings call for each city to turn off one or more of its enforcement cameras.

Cities have until April 17 to appeal the decisions.

LIST: 10 Iowa traffic cameras that could be shut down

The enforcement cameras first were used in Iowa about 10 years ago, and in ensuing years, they have become more prevalent. City officials say the devices, which record traffic violations using video equipment and then send citations to vehicle owners, enhance safety on roads. Motorists and some politicians say the cameras are a way to generate revenue for the jurisdictions that use them.

Iowa lawmakers have tried for years without success to pass laws regulating the cameras' use. In late 2013, however, the DOT adopted new rules governing the use of the cameras on or adjacent to state highways. Those rules require local jurisdictions, on an annual basis, to justify the use of the cameras and their placement. The first reports were due May 1, 2014.

Four DOT officials, including director Paul Trombino, reviewed the reports and determined whether the use of each of the 34 cameras was justified as a way to make roads safer, said Steve Gent, the agency's traffic and safety director.

"We looked at the number of crashes before and after the cameras were installed," Gent said. "We like to see a downward trend. ... We also looked at what other things were being done to make the roadways safer."

At some locations, high numbers of citations were issued, which were red flags, he said: "That to us means drivers are not seeing a reason to slow down at that location."

The I-235 cameras

One of those areas was eastbound I-235 where speed enforcement cameras were placed in October 2011. In 2012, 36,202 citations were issued and in 2013, 42,156, according to information submitted to the DOT by Des Moines officials. Last year, 43,032 citations were issued, which generated about $1.2 million for the city, officials said.

Gent said that that section of I-235 is safe, with a crash rate that is significantly lower than the state average for urban interstates. In addition, the crash rate there has not changed significantly since the cameras' installation, he said.

According to Iowa's administrative rules, enforcement cameras can only be placed on the interstate in situations in which "extreme issues need to be resolved," Gent said. "I don't think anyone can argue that there's a real safety problem there."

Des Moines officials disagree.

RELATED: Mobile speed camera locations around D.M. metro

"A large percentage of our citizens have demonstrated that they want us to deal with speeding on the freeway," City Councilwoman Christine Hensley said. "It's too dangerous to put a police officer out there. (The cameras) are a lot safer."

Officials haven't determined whether to appeal the DOT decision.

The DOT ruled that Des Moines can continue to operate red-light violation cameras at East 15th and Maple streets and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and School Street. Both are intersections to or from the interstate system.

However, the city must place an additional "photo enforced" sign on the School Street exit closer to Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, the DOT said.

Around the state

Muscatine has speed and red-light violation cameras at four intersections adjacent to a highway. Devices at three of the intersections can continue to operate, but the ones at University Drive at U.S. Highway 61 must be turned off, the DOT ruled.

That camera is located 830 feet after the speed limit is lowered from 55 mph to 45 mph. State regulations dictate that cameras must be at least 1,000 feet from the lower speed limit signs, the DOT report said. In addition, crashes in the area have increased since the cameras were installed in 2011, and a high number of citations have been issued.

Muscatine City Administrator Gregg Mandsager said the city disagrees with the DOT's assessment. In addition, "we think they are operating outside the scope of their authority," he said. "Public safety is a municipal concern."

Mandsager said the city plans to "put together a response" to the DOT's ruling. He declined to elaborate.

The DOT ruled that Cedar Rapids must turn off two of its four speed enforcement cameras located on Interstate Highway 380. "This is a very important decision for the overall safety and well-being of our community," City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said in a prepared statement. "We will need to spend time carefully reviewing the report provided in order to fully assess the short and long-term effects of the DOT requirements."

Officials in Council Bluffs, however, said they agreed with the DOT's assessment to turn off a camera at the South Expressway and 30th Avenue.

"When we supplied the data to the DOT we recognized that 50 percent of the red-light violations there were rolling right hand turns," said Mayor Matt Walsh. "When we reviewed it, we saw that they were turning safely and we weren't seeing a reduction in accidents there. We're not going to object to shutting that camera off."

Officials from Sioux City and Davenport could not be reached.

— Reporter Josh Hafner contributed to this article.