House panel advances bill to ban traffic cameras in DC
House panel advances bill to ban traffic cameras in DC
On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee advanced a bill to ban traffic cameras across D.C. If passed, the bill would also end the city's no right on red rule. FOX 5's Sydney Persing has more.
WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee advanced a bill to ban traffic cameras across D.C.
Right now, the district operates more than 500 automated enforcement cameras, generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
If passed, the bill would also end the city's no right on red rule.
What they're saying:
"I think [the cameras] a money machine for the D.C., has not much to do with safety," one driver told FOX 5 Wednesday in support of the legislation.
"We’re just trying to get around the city, pick our kids up, drop them off, go to work and do things…ban the camera. It would save us a lot of time, a lot of hassle," another added.
The other side:
Not everyone agrees.
Federal transportation agencies like the NHTSA and Federal Highway Administration call cameras like these a proven safety tool – nearly half of all US states allow some sort of automated enforcement.
Mayor Muriel Bowser urged Congress to reject the bill in a statement Tuesday. She noted traffic fatalities fell 52% last year, the lowest they've been since 2014.
She said removing the cameras would "put residents and visitors at risk and send a misguided and dangerous message that reckless driving is acceptable in our nation's capital."
Dig deeper:
Before the committee Wednesday, Republican supporters of the bill argued the cameras are a money grab that doesn't improve safety.
Democrats opposed it, largely citing the belief local D.C. laws should be decided by local leaders.
"My goal is to bring driving autonomy back to the district, not just for the people who live there but for people that visit." Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said. "These cameras are a shameless money grab that continuously deter tourists, aggravate commuters, attack and defraud local residents with hundreds of dollars in fines…anyone with common sense can see there is zero correlation between these fatality figures and the hundreds of cameras installed over the district."
Democratic California Rep. Robert Garcia pushed back.
"The decisions for the district should be left to the district and the community," he said. "Local leaders should be empowered to address local matters without congress continuously interfering…if we should be considering anything it should be statehood for the district at this moment."
What's next:
There is still a long road ahead before this measure could ever become law.
It would have to pass out of the full house still, then pass out of the senate, where it will likely face more challenges.