1/13/10-In the first hours of the new legislative year in Tennessee, a House panel gathered to continue their review of the use of traffic cameras in the state. They are calling for a two-year moratorium on the cameras’ use, among other things.
The House Transportation Committee, which has spent the past several months discussing how cameras are used to ticket motorists for running red lights and speeding, met Tuesday, Jan. 12, to nail down their recommendations for how to address the issue.
Among the provisions endorsed by lawmakers for further consideration are a two-year moratorium on putting new cameras in place and renewals of existing contracts. In the meantime, a study would be done on their effectiveness and usage.
The moratorium would exempt a stretch of road in Hamilton County. Citing the 10 fatalities in a 30-month period prior to the installation of cameras, the winding “S” curves on Hixson Pike were singled out as a special circumstance. Republican Reps. Vince Dean of East Ridge and Richard Floyd of Chattanooga said there haven’t been any fatalities on the affected road since.
While attempts to outright ban the use of cameras didn’t make the cut, the panel did include a handful of protections.
Once the moratorium expires, local governments could only post cameras if they adhere to the following conditions:

• Fines must be capped at $50 and court costs limited to $10.
• All contracts with outside companies that own and manage the cameras must be submitted to the state.
• Contracts would no longer include a percentage of the fines issued. Instead, the companies would only get a set fee for their trouble.
• Police officers must inspect all citations.

With the recommendation process complete, a bill will be drafted and brought back before the committee. If approved there, it would still need to win favor in both chambers of the General Assembly before it could be sent to the governor’s desk.