A small Connecticut town is slated to get some new technology to curb heavy feet. Washington is the first municipality in the state to receive approval for speed enforcement cameras.
Residents were pleased to hear the technology will be online soon.
“If people could just slow down and enjoy the town instead of speeding through it,” said Cynthia Quinn, who lives in town.
She is in favor of the technology rolling out, describing for us her method of stepping completely off the roadway when walking - because of speeders.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
“People walk on these roads, they ride their bikes, they have their kids and people are going really really fast,” Quinn said.
Washington received approval from the Connecticut DOT for rollout of speed cameras on three local roads. One Is slated to be operating at the start of 2025.
“The number one volume of calls I get in my office every day is about speeding on our roads,” said First Selectman James Brinton.
Local
The technology in town he said was a no-brainer. They went through the process of approving a town ordinance, and after some initial questions from townsfolk, and hearing the concerns from his residents, the technology was nearly unanimously approved. The main reason was safety.
“This was never about revenue, this is about getting our roads safer,” said Brinton.
The cameras are designed to run license plates of speeding cars. Violations recorded have to be approved by the town's police officer, and when approved, a citation is sent in the mail. Fines are capped at $75 dollars and the money generated - per Connecticut law - must go back to the town for other roadway safety initiatives.
“Probably the number one complaint we get here in Washington, is speeding,” reiterated Officer Rich Innaimo with the Washington Police Department.
Full time, it's himself, and a resident State Trooper in Washington.
The technology he said will work in tandem with radar they already run, and plan to continue. It’s an aid, not a replacement, according to Innaimo.
“Our ultimate goal is to get people to slow down,” he said.
Placement of the cameras has to be data driven.
“It’s meant to be in the most dangerous areas based on data, based on community feedback,” said Josh Morgan, a spokesperson with the CT DOT.
Concerns have been raised by groups like the ACLU of CT since the beginning of discussions around speed safety technology, and red-light camera technology.
The ACLU of Connecticut was involved in discussions around the law allowing the speed cameras from the jump. They don’t believe speed enforcement or red light camera technology is the right way to go. But based on how the law is written, they believe Connecticut has the potential to get the rollout of the tech right. They plan to monitor the data and rollout of the cameras around Connecticut closely.
“We anticipate lots of ups and downs but ultimately we will be looking at the data as it rolls in to ensure its being rolled out in a fair and equitable way that comparts with the constitution,” said Executive Director of the ACLU of CT David McQuire.
When asked about the technology, people from different towns expressed mixed feelings about the technology becoming reality and expanding to different areas.
“Again, I’m not crazy about it, I’d rather know that I had been speeding and why I was stopped,” said Mari Frohne.
She noted receiving the citation in the mail doesn’t please her. She would prefer the interaction with an officer about any violations she found herself in.
Others though were intrigued by the potential safety benefits.
“I live on a street that has a 25-m.p.h. speed limit on an S curve and people are doing 50 m.p.h. on that thing, so if it’s going to save some lives, I’m for it,” said Carl Cruz.
He noted similar tech has been around in other areas, and he believes if it changes reckless driver behavior, it should be used.
But with residents in town concerned with speeding, it came down to safety. People like Quinn hope starting with three cameras, proves moving the needle in the right direction is possible.
“You just see an increase in pedestrians being hit I don’t think there is any downside to people just being slower,” said Quinn.
Major cities like Stamford and New Haven remain in the approval process phase of getting the OK for the rollout of the technology.
Since the cameras aren’t 'set and forget,' the law states approval is good for three-year terms. So in three years’ time, the cameras will need re-approval to remain, or new approval to expand or move.
