Davenport, IOWA - "No Need for Speed" program w/
DAVENPORT -- A white Chevy Astro van parked on the side of major roads and permanent mounted speed cameras will be watching for lead-footed drivers starting Tuesday.
The van and the cameras will be the first installment of the city's "No Need for Speed" program, which aims to reduce the number of speed-related accidents.
"If we have the same reduction in speed-related accidents as we have in red-light accidents, I think everyone will be very appreciative," police Chief Mike Bladel said.
Chief Bladel said the van can be moved around to high traffic areas, including residential and school areas. Someone from the police department will be inside the van using a laser and camera to nab speeders. The officer will not be pulling anyone over, but a ticket will be sent to the owner, just like with the mounted cameras.
Permanent cameras will be at the intersections of Brady Street and Kimberly Road, and Harrison Street at 35th Street.
Other sites for fixed cameras are planned for mid-block areas of the 2700 block of Brady Street, the 2900 block of Harrison Street and the 1300 block of East River Drive.
Davenport is the first city in Iowa to use speed cameras, according to Jack Weaver of Redflex, the company that owns the cameras. The city paid nothing for the cameras, Chief Bladel said. Redflex will get a share of the finess and the city's share is earmarked for traffic safety purposes.
For the first 90 days, the cameras will only be ticketing drivers going more than 12 mph over the posted speed limit. After that, tickets will be issued to drivers caught going 10 mph over the limit in residential areas and 8 mph over in school zones.
The laser in the van and the posted cameras are accurate up to 1 mph over or under the speed of the vehicle, Mr. Weaver said.
The speed cameras will work similarly to the cameras the city put at five major intersections to catch drivers who don't stop at red lights.
As civil infractions, violations will not count against the car owner's driver's record or be reported to car insurance companies and can be challenged in district court.
The speeding citations will show a close-up photo of the license plate, where the laser focused on the vehicle, and a full photo of the vehicle. Each infraction will be video-recorded, just like the red-light violations, so people can review the incident if they want to contest the ticket.
Aldermen authorized the use of the speed cameras in August, one year after the police department began using red-light cameras.
Chief Bladel said the red-light cameras are beginning to cut down on the number of accidents at the five intersections where they are posted, from an average of 26 a year to half that, police records show.
Now, he hopes the same will be true for speed-related accidents.
The intersections with red-light cameras are Harrison and 35th streets, Brady Street and Kimberly Road, Welcome Way and Kimberly Road, and Kimberly Road and Elmore Avenue. A camera now at the intersection of Division and 4th streets will be moved to Locust Street and Lincoln Avenue.
All the red-light cameras will be upgraded to allow their use as speed cameras, too, according to the police department.
While some may fear additional cameras peering down on drivers is another step toward a Big Brother-like society, Chief Bladel said the cameras aren't an invasion of privacy. The cameras won't be taking a photo of the driver and won't be used to spy on drivers.
"You want an invasion of privacy? How about an officer knocking on your door at 2 in the morning saying your son or daughter was killed by a speeder or someone who ran a red light," he said. "All they have to do is obey the speed limit and not run a red light and this isn't an issue with them."
Where the cameras are
Where cameras will be watching in the next two months:
- Brady Street at Kimberly Road, northbound
- Harrison Street at 35th Street, southbound
- 2700 block of Brady Street, northbound
- 2900 block of Harrison Street, southbound
- 1300 block of East River Drive, westbound
- Two or more additional cameras could be added in the future
What it will cost:
- 1-7 mph: $5
- 8-11 mph: $45
- 12-20 mph: $65
- 21-25 mph: $85
- 26-30 mph: $95
- 31-35 mph: $110
- 36-40 mph: $125
- Over 40 mph: $150
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