Be warned: Vermont speed and traffic cameras are coming

by Kolby LaMarche

At the start of this year, 2024, I wrote to tell you about the staggering costs which Vermont motorists will have to now pay to get on the road.

Unfortunately, I come yet again with more frightening motorist news.

Both the Vermont House, under H.562, and the Senate, through S.184, have introduced bills aimed at ushering in the deployment of speed and traffic cameras across the state, aiming to tackle roadway safety.

In the Senate, S.184 empowers Vermont municipalities to use speed and traffic camera systems on any road, while in the House, H.562 focuses on installing cameras in work zones and two other locations with traffic and safety concerns.

In this system, if your vehicle exceeds the posted limit by 10 mph, a speeding ticket will be – after an unknown period of time -mailed to the owner, regardless of the driver, along with a link to view a clip of the speeding incident. The fines are as such:

Full disclosure: I speed, but nothing maniacal. I know many people who speed. I have never been in an accident, nor have I ever received a speeding ticket. So as a responsible speeder, I take issue with cameras.

Nonetheless, even if you drive a Subaru Outback or, dare I say, a Toyota Prius, being excessively prudent by driving a whopping 15 miles per hour beneath the speed limit, this bill should still evoke some concern in you.

Speed cameras have sparked extensive concern and debate, including potential violations of the Forth and Sixth Amendment, the fact cameras increase specific types of crashes, and where, or if, to place a sign notifying drivers of the camera.

For cities and states who have deployed cameras, equipment vendors frequently refuse, as is their right, to publish their equipment reliability, bugs, environmental durability, and error data.

This isn’t Colorado, or New Mexico, or Oregon, all of which have cameras. This is Vermont. Severe weather is hitting our state constantly, from pounding rain and flooding, to blizzards and routine below freezing temperatures.

I seriously question, especially without data available, whether these cameras could maintain optimal performance (correct speed measurement, angle of camera, etc), not needing regular, if not daily, maintenance.

Chittenden County Senator Martine Larocque Gulick, lead sponsor of Senate’s camera push, ran on “equity” as a key plank of her platform.

In typical Vermont fashion, Senator Gulick finds herself between a rock and a hard place: studies actually show speeding cameras perpetuated racial and economic inequities.

A report from Pro Public revealed that in Chicago, another so-called liberal bastion, “ticketing rate for households in majority-Black [and Latino] ZIP codes jumped to more than three times that of households in majority-white areas”

Furthermore, New York City ended their traffic camera program in 2016 because of impacts on low-income neighborhoods outweighed what little safety benefits were had. Miami also closed down their program in 2017 after receiving numerous complaints from low-income residents, as well as Washington D.C..

In 2023, Vermont ranked fourth highest in the nation for drunk drivers, not even counting those who consume THC and drive.

Surly, it is those types of drivers, and those types of horrible accidents which make up a lot of our data, that Vermont lawmakers would want to stop?

Cameras do not and cannot intercept or interrupt motorist driving under the influence or the accidents they cause. So, on that very important front, the deployment of cameras will do nothing.

As well intended as state lawmakers may be, they nonetheless hold an unwieldy appetite for monies and new, growing, streams of revenue. This isn’t about safety, it’s about the huge money-making potential of these cameras.

And, even if you disagree with that assertion, the fact remains that these cameras are a cover for the larger problem: record-low law enforcement recruitment – how 2020 keeps crawling back.

So, here is your warning: Vermont’s new digital highwaymen are on their way. Watch out.

Burning Sky is dedicated to providing critique and commentary on the issues of the day from an unapologetic perspective, fueling change in the heart of Vermont. Authored by Kolby LaMarche every Saturday.