Gov wants to keep Gov. Ben Cayetano says the city is hurting the state's effort to control speeding by not allowing the controversial traffic cameras on city streets.
traffic cams going
He says the city's ban on the cams
is hurting the efforts by the
state to control speedingBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comDuring a news conference yesterday, Cayetano defended the state's program, saying it was intended to lower the number of drivers speeding and not make a profit for the private operators of the cameras.
When asked about the city's decision to pull out of the program, Cayetano said he regretted it.
"It would have been more effective if the cameras were permitted on city streets," Cayetano said.
"Those of us in this business have an obligation to see things through, rather than cut and run at the first sign of blood," he said.
Mayor Jeremy Harris canceled the program on city streets, saying it was actually causing traffic problems.
Yesterday, a city spokeswoman said the program was first explained to the city as using stationary cameras on poles to photograph speeders. But when it changed to mobile vans located near intersections, the program caused problems, said Carol Costa, a spokeswoman for Harris.
"There was a safety concern with cars bunched up and people gazing off to the side of the road, looking for the vans," she said.
"There have been real concerns about how the public has been reacting," she added.
Cayetano agreed yesterday that the state program has made mistakes, but he does not think the program should be scrapped.
"The administration is going to make the point that we want to see the program go through," Cayetano said.
"We have made some mistakes, there is no question, and I don't think we handled it very well in the beginning."
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