By the numbers
44: Amount of crashes at red light camera intersections last year, down from 90 in 2007
77,112: Amount of red light camera citations issued since the program began
$3.4 million: Money Springfield has collected from its red light camera program since it began
The city of Springfield filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming a new state law restricting red limit cameras is unconstitutional and infringes on its authority.
Several cities, including Akron, Toledo and Dayton, have filed similar suits against the state of Ohio.
The new law by Gov. John Kasich in December requires an officer to be present at intersections with cameras.
Springfield will suspend its red light camera program on Monday, the same day Senate Bill 342 becomes effective in Ohio. However, the cameras could be turned back on if the courts rule in favor of the Ohio cities challenging the new rules.
In the lawsuit, Springfield says the bill violates the Ohio Constitution and interferes with the city’s power of local self government.
The requirement to have an officer present is “merely a thinly veiled attempt” to keep Springfield and other cities from operating photo enforcement programs, according to the lawsuit. It would force the city “to incur extraordinary expenses to pay potentially thousands of hours of officer time to perform a function that does nothing to benefit the citizenry,” the suit says.
It would likely cost Springfield about $5.6 million annually to place officers at the 10 intersections where its 17 cameras are located, according to a study from the nonprofit Traffic Safety Coalition.
Turning the cameras off is expected to cost the city of Springfield about $250,000 a year in revenue.
The city decided to suspend its program to avoid confusion for residents during the pending legal action, Mayor Warren Copeland said.
“I don’t think the state has the right to tell local communities how to handle traffic,” Copeland said. “But the courts will decide that.”
State Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, was the primary sponsor of the bill and wasn’t available for comment Wednesday about the law suit. He has previously said the cameras are simply about generating money, not safety.
Springfield’s red light camera program began in 2006 and City Manager Jim Bodenmiller said it has made the streets safer. Crashes at the intersections with cameras have dropped from 90 in 2007 to 44 in 2014.
The cameras have resulted in more than 77,000 citations and more than $3.4 million in revenue since the city installed them.
The court action is bigger than red light cameras, Copeland said.
“The question is: Can the state tell local communities how to control traffic? Our view is that local cities have the right to choose that under the Ohio constitution,” he said. “The court is going to have to decide if we’re right or if the legislature is right.”
The cameras should be removed for good, said Joshua Fudge of Springfield.
“I know it will probably take money from the city and it might even stretch the cops a little bit to worry about the traffic,” Fudge said, “But I don’t think that’s a big deal and I think it’s a good decision to take them away.”
Some residents, however, are concerned about safety at those intersections. Springfield resident Meg Atkins believes cities should fight to keep the cameras.
“The red light cameras are a good thing,” Atkins said, “and I’m sorry for people who have to pay the fine, but I’m sorry, you break the law, you break the law.”
About the Author
