Senate takes up effort to ban traffic cameras in Ohio

State senators had their first chance Tuesday to review a bill that would ban most red light and speed cameras in Ohio.

House Bill 69 passed the House in June in a 61-32 bipartisan vote. The bill's sponsors, Rep. Ron Maag, R-Lebanon, and Dale Mallory, D-Cincinnati, said unmanned cameras placed at intersections across the state violate the most basic concept that people are innocent until proven guilty and are used purely to generate revenue for local governments.

A Hamilton County judge blocked cameras in Elmwood Place, north of Cincinnati, earlier this year for being "a scam that motorists can't win."

“The camera program in this state is an egregious violation of due process and has far overreached its intended purpose,” Maag told lawmakers on the Senate State Government Oversight and Reform committee.

Maag’s bill would prohibit red light and speed cameras except those in 20 mph school zones where an officer is present.

City and law enforcement officials around the state say the cameras improve safety at dangerous intersections and allow lean police departments to be more efficient.

Maag said it’s too late to regulate the cameras and he has yet to see a study showing the cameras increase safety. Mallory cited

The committee will hear testimony from those in favor of keeping the cameras and others who oppose the cameras before approving the bill and sending it to a full Senate vote.

About the Author