The battle over whether red-light cameras are primarily lifesavers or money-makers is being re-fought in the Ohio General Assembly seven years after it began, reports the Columbus Dispatch. Cameras placed at critical intersections, including 38 in Columbus, help dramatically reduce accidents and save lives, a statewide coalition said, pushing back against a legislative proposal that would all but eliminate the devices in Ohio.
House Bill 69, passed by the House this year, “is bad public policy that puts people at risk on Ohio roads,” Sgt. Brett Bauer of the Springfield Police Department said at a Statehouse news conference. Red-light cameras “are making roads safer in Springfield and across the state,” he said. The bill would limit cameras to school zones — and then only when an officer was present. A coalition of police and city officials, bicycle enthusiasts and safety advocates appeared at the news conference alongside a state senator who is planning legislation to reform how the cameras may be used rather than repeal their use, as the House bill would do.