CAMBRIDGE After apparently receiving many complaints from city residents about the recent use of speed cameras, council members considered raising the speed limit in certain school zones and adding flashing lights in all school zones at Monday night's council meeting.
City commissioners in March selected Optotraffic, a Maryland-based company that provides photo enforcement solutions for red light and speeding violations, to provide speed camera services to Cambridge. The city and Optotraffic decided to use two portable cameras throughout all school zones in the city for year-round enforcement.
In July, the mayor and council designated specific school zones and speed limits for all school zones. The speed cameras are in effect from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sandy Hill school's zone on Glasgow Street and Maple Elementary school's zone on Egypt Road have a speed limit of 15 mph. Between 6 and 7 a.m. and 4 and 8 p.m., the speed limit is 25 mph in these zones.
Two speed cameras were set up from July 15 to Aug. 14 on Glasgow Street and Egypt Road during a warning period to make drivers aware these speed cameras were going to be in effect. The speed cameras then became effective Aug. 15. Tickets are issued to those traveling 12 mph or more over the posted speed limit.
After apparently several city residents expressed confusion, anger and resistance toward these cameras, Commissioner Gage Thomas said the Traffic and Safety Committee had discussed the possibility of installing flashing lights at the speed limit signs in all school zones as a warning that drivers are entering a school zone.
Department of Public Works director Oden Wheeler said flashing lights could be installed at the speed limit signs in each school zone and could be turned on and off at the city's discretion.
The flashing lights that DPW was looking at possibly installing, said Wheeler, are solar lights. He said the cost to purchase one pole is $3,075, which means it would cost about $6,100 per school zone. That does not include installation costs, he said.
Wheeler said DPW looked at the possibility of a barricade light, but the lights are hard to see during the day. The barricade lights would operate all day, said Wheeler, and are battery operated. He said it would cost less than $1,000 per school zone to purchase and install.
Thomas recommended revisiting the discussion to use flashing lights in school zones in six months. The motion passed with a four to one vote, with Commissioner Robert Hanson voting no.
After several city residents apparently expressed outrage at the speed limit in these school zones being as low as 15 mph even when school is not in session, Thomas said the Traffic and Safety Committee reviewed the possibility of raising the speed limit to 20 mph in the Maces Lane, Glasgow Street and Egypt Road school zones.
Thomas said after review, the committee recommended that the speed limits not be raised to 20 mph.
Commissioner Donald Sydnor said "the speeds have been set." He said laws are made for lawbreakers and if "you're going the speed limit than you'll be fine."
Cambridge Police Chief Kenneth Malik said raising the speed limit to 20 mph would defeat the purpose of the speed cameras, which is for the safety of the children. He said raising the speed limit would allow driver to travel 31 mph through a school zone before being issued a ticket if the speed limit was raised to 20 mph.
Commissioner Robert Hanson made a motion to increase the speed limit in the Maces Lane, Glasgow Street and Egypt Road school zones to 20 mph. The motion failed in a 3-2vote, with Commissioners Thomas, Sydnor and Frank Stout voting against the motion.
http://www.stardem.com/article_25f4a575-f1af-5c0d-8fe8-cde894d3b800.html
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