A progressive city in Oregon has removed all of its speed cameras – but plans for them to be replaced with upgraded models.
Portland‘s 32 speed cameras will be replaced with double the number of the newer models as city leaders emphasize their effectiveness in high-crash areas.
On Monday the Portland Police Bureau and the Bureau of Transportation announced a new contract with Novoa Global.
‘The city has been working with a contract that’s been problematic. They’re getting a new contractor that’s going to be good,’ Portland City Councilor Steve Novick told KOIN.
‘I talked to the head of Multnomah County Courts the other day and they said that there’s ways that they can expand their capacity to handle more processing, more speeding and red light camera violations.’
The new contractor will be the only supplier and operator of speed cameras, with plans to have the replacements in place 2 by November 1, according to a press release.
‘[Novoa Global’s] comprehensive traffic safety solutions – including red light, speed, and school zone speed enforcement – offer turnkey programs to help combat the ongoing crisis of traffic-related injuries and fatalities,’ the release said.
The city council has hopes to increase the number of speed cameras to 64 within the next few years, with three more locations in the coming months.
Portland has removed all 32 of its speed cameras with plans for them to be replaced with double the number of newer models
Portland’s City Council Transportation Committee passed a resolution that ‘reaffirmed’ their commitment to Vision Zero, which focuses on eliminating traffic injuries and deaths
The city council has hopes to increase the number of speed cameras to 64 within the next few years, with three more locations in the coming months
Novick is one of the supporting city council members pushing to increase the cameras monitoring red lights and speed.
‘New York City has 3,000 of these things. Based on road miles, I think we should have 1,000,’ Novick told Willamette Week, saying doubling the city’s cameras in three years ‘seems like a glacial pace.’
The council member emphasized the effectiveness of the cameras at reducing speed and curbing traffic related deaths.
Earlier this year the City Council’s Transportation Committee passed a resolution that ‘reaffirmed’ their commitment to Vision Zero, which focuses on eliminating traffic injuries and deaths.
Council Vice President Tiffany Koyama Lane’s resolution to create a Vision Zero Task Force intended to ‘support the goal of zero traffic deaths and evaluate and report to council on advancement to those goals annually.’
‘In the first six months of our city council there haven’t been a lot of opportunities to work specifically… on projects such as fixed speed traffic cameras,’ said Koyama Lane according to a report by WW.
‘I have noticed many more installations and full support them as a cost-effective intervention that does indeed reduce crashes and the resulting injuries.’
Among Vision Zero’s clauses was a proposition to ‘change the design of streets to reduce speeds and protect people.’
