Tempers flare against The building of the H-3 freeway. Shutting down lanes of the H-1 freeway for night repairs. Dealing with a rockslide on Kamehameha Highway at Waimea Bay.
traffic cameras
Camera operators and van drivers
bear the brunt of criticism toward the systemBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comAll are controversial Department of Transportation projects that pale in comparison to the public's response to traffic photo enforcement, according to DOT spokeswoman Marilyn Kali.
"I'm really, really surprised at people's attitudes," said Kali yesterday. "Never have I seen people so angry at being asked to obey the law."
Kali said the anger comes in many forms, though it is most often directed toward camera operators in the traffic vans. One man even informed the DOT that he believes several road rage-type incidents that have happened to him recently have been because he has a white van similar to the traffic vans.
"One guy almost ran me off the road," said Doug Pyle, who drives a white Toyota Sienna. "People have swerved in front of me and slammed their brakes. One woman came up on the side of me and matched speeds and just glared at me."
"All of this happened in the last week, and I haven't done anything to make anyone mad while I drive ... then I realized that my van looks just like those on the side of the road."
Pyle said he has contacted both the DOT and Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Cal Kawamoto (D, Waipahu-Pearl City) and asked that they somehow mark the traffic camera vans so that personal vans such as his are no longer mistaken.
"That way, I don't have to put a sign on my van that says, 'I am not a traffic van,'" said Pyle.
Kali said van operators themselves have had "people yell at them, throw things at them. They've had people swerve at them ... and they've seen people make all kinds of gestures."
There are also some questions about a recent speeding ticket issued last week by a Honolulu police officer to one of the traffic van drivers, Kali said. She would not go into detail about the incident except to say that the company operating the cameras for the state, Affiliated Computer Service, may ask the Honolulu Police Commission to investigate the citation.
All of this comes as the project moves into its next phase, which positions traffic camera vans outside of the Honolulu area. Kali said that by next week camera operators should be monitoring motorists in Windward, Leeward and Central Oahu.
One of the original proponents of the photo enforcement project, Rep. Colleen Meyer (R, Laie-Heeia Kea), said it was about time. Meyer said she pushed hard for photo enforcement several years ago because it seemed like the only way she could get someone to monitor traffic on her side of the island.
"The first year I was in office there, a little boy was killed on Kamehameha Highway," said Meyer. "Police said they didn't have the manpower, and this seemed to be a good way to get people to slow down."
"But you need that sort of thing on the Windward side where there is no need to go that fast. I'm not so sure someone going 50 to 55 miles per hour on Likelike Highway is a danger to anyone."
Meyer was among a group of GOP legislators who gathered before the DOT building yesterday calling to either terminate the camera enforcement project now or to amend it. While Meyer leaned toward the latter, other Republicans said there was enough evidence that the project should be scrapped completely.
"I think that the problems that are occurring right now show that it's very clear that the Department of Transportation has not thoroughly thought out how to implement this program," said Rep. Charles Djou (R, Kahaluu-Kaneohe). "And until they get their act together, I don't think they should be should be having these traffic vans on the street ticketing individuals and issuing them citations."
"We must repeal this law," said Sen. Bob Hogue (R, Kaneohe-Enchanted Lake). "We must do so now before the state gets totally out of hand."