Cleveland traffic cameras

The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed legislation to effectively ban traffic cameras in Ohio. The bill, which is similar to measures passed earlier this month by voters in Cleveland and Maple Heights, would require an officer to be on scene to issue tickets for speeding or running a red light.

(Plain Dealer file)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Senate on Wednesday voted 24-9 to pass legislation that would effectively ban traffic cameras statewide.

The legislation, which would require an officer to be on scene to issue tickets for speeding or running a red light, now heads to the Ohio House, where approval appears likely.

Senate Bill 342 wouldn't directly ban traffic cameras in Ohio, but opponents of the bill say it would effectively eliminate their use by requiring police departments to spend millions of dollars that they don't have to staff the cameras.

The legislation is similar to measures passed earlier this month by voters in Cleveland and Maple Heights. Cleveland police have already said they will replace cameras in the city with roving officers equipped with radar guns.

It also mirrors a bill vetoed in early 2007 by then-Gov. Bob Taft, just before he left office.

Other parts of SB 342 would require:

Cities to only issue traffic-camera tickets to speeders if they were caught going at least 10 miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit (or at least 6 mph over the limit in school zones, parks, and recreation areas).

A law enforcement officer to review all violations caught on camera before issuing a ticket.

Notification signs to be posted at camera locations.

Conducting a safety study to assess an intersection before cameras are set up there.

The debate over the cameras has pitted law enforcement officials, local government figures, and camera company lobbyists, who say the devices make roads safer, against civil-rights advocates and angry motorists who believe such monitoring is intrusive and only serves as a money-maker for cash-strapped municipalities.