CLEVELAND — Members of Cleveland's City Council are considering bringing back traffic cameras to busy, accident-prone intersections.
In 2014, Cleveland voters banished traffic cameras from the city.
Numerous complaints of speeding, the illegal passing of school buses and accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists have citizens requesting the city to do something.
As Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek explained to News 5, there are a lot of issues standing in the city's way.
Polensek said that staffing with Cleveland Police does not allow for traffic to be monitored the way that it used to be.
Additionally, other traffic calming measures are costly.
He said many residents are requesting speed tables in their neighborhood, but those speed tables have a hefty price tag of $8,500 to $15,000. That money would come out of the city's resurfacing budget.
Polensek and other city council members are starting to think that traffic cameras could be a solution to both problems.
"We're all of the opinion that the only way we can collectively pinpoint or target these individuals who don't want to pay attention to any law is with the cameras because the cameras don't lie," he said.
Members of the council are not alone.
Advocates who want safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists agree and want cameras, too.
Bike Cleveland's Executive Director, Jacob VanSickle, said these cameras, if placed in the most accident-prone or pedestrian-heavy areas, could make a difference.
"We know we want to keep our students safe on the way to school and people safe around parks," he said. "We can focus on areas where there are higher pedestrian traffic, higher more vulnerable road users and areas where that data shows there is a traffic problem."
All of this is in the early stages. This issue would have to be put on a ballot, which means the final decision would be up to Cleveland voters.
Polensek said that if this measure made the ballot, he wants residents to know exactly where these cameras would be placed so there would be no surprises.
