Minneapolis pushing for traffic cameras to ticket speeders, red-light runners
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A sign warning of a red light traffic enforcement camera in San Diego in 2001. Photo: Don Tormey/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
If you've gotten in the habit of speeding or running red lights, you might want to reconsider.
What's happening: Minneapolis city officials want the power to install traffic enforcement cameras to ticket drivers for those behaviors.
Why it matters: Electronic eyes could help city officials slow cars down and make streets safer.
Yes, but: The idea has been controversial for years because of the thorny civil liberties and privacy issues it raises.
Driving the news: Lawmakers in the state House and Senate have introduced proposals that would give cities the authority to set up speed enforcement cameras.
- Minneapolis officials support these bills and hope to push for amendments that would also allow cameras for ticketing red light-runners.
What they're saying: "I don't think we talk enough about traffic safety when we think about the things that are making people in our city unsafe," state Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura (DFL-Minneapolis), who co-authored one of the proposals, told attendees at a recent virtual town hall.
- Speeding and running red lights are leading contributors to fatal crashes in Minneapolis, city data show.
How it would work: Under the proposed legislation, cities could ticket vehicles caught going at least 10 mph over the speed limit, and only at intersections with an "identified traffic safety concern."
- The $40 fine would be charged to the vehicle's owner (or lease holder), but would not go on their driving record — a move designed to avoid violating drivers' due process rights.
Between the lines: The proposals also come with guardrails. For instance, cameras could only record vehicle license plates, not images that could personally identify the driver.
- The system also wouldn't be allowed to retain data from vehicles that weren't potentially speeding.
- "Our goal is to reduce unsafe behavior. It isn't to give out tickets," said Ethan Fawley, who leads Minneapolis' campaign to reduce traffic deaths. He said the city would issue warnings to first-time offenders.
Catch up fast: Minneapolis has tried this before. In 2007, the state Supreme Court quashed the city's short-lived "photo cop" red light camera program, ruling that it conflicted with state traffic laws — but stopping short of calling it unconstitutional.
- The ACLU of Minnesota had sued, arguing the city had "presume[d] that the owner of a vehicle that is photographed is guilty and then [put] the burden on the owner to prove that he or she was not the driver."
What's next: Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) told Axios that he's planning to hear the enforcement camera bill in the Transportation Committee, which he chairs. Dibble supports the idea, though he noted there may be "technical issues" to work out.
- If approved, Minneapolis officials would pursue a pilot program to launch by summer 2025.