Fairfield Residents Deserve Safety - Not a 24/7 Speed Camera Tax

Over the past three weeks, the Vitale administration's new school zone speed cameras issued more than 114,000 warnings.

Starting June 1st, those warnings turn into $50 tickets.

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Do the math.

At that rate, Fairfield residents could be looking at millions of dollars in fines, all from a program town officials insist is “not about revenue generation.”

If that’s true, then why was projected camera revenue included in the town budget?

And if the stated goal is protecting children in school zones, why are these cameras operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including late nights, weekends, holidays, and summer months when schools are empty?

Let’s be clear: everyone supports safe streets and responsible driving near schools. Republicans and Democrats alike want children protected. But safety measures should be fair, transparent, and narrowly tailored to their purpose - not designed as an around-the-clock automated enforcement and surveillance system that treats residents like an endless source of revenue.

This program raises serious concerns:

• 24/7 enforcement in “school zones” long after school hours
• Massive ticket volume that far exceeds what residents were led to expect
• Budget projections built around anticipated fine revenue
• Misleading signs that appear to indicate the camera enforcement only occurs during school hours
• Limited public discussion about the long-term financial impact on Fairfield families

Fairfield families are already dealing with rising taxes, inflation, utility costs, and affordability challenges. The answer cannot be another automated cash stream funded directly from residents’ wallets.

Common sense actions we should take right now:

• Speed camera enforcement limited strictly to actual school hours
• Full transparency regarding projected and collected revenue
• Accountability from town leaders who promised this was not about money

Fairfield deserves policies rooted in common sense, fairness, and public trust, not government by automated ticket machine.

Please email the Board of Selectpersons and the First Selectperson :

bos@fairfieldct.org

cvitale@fairfieldct.org

It’s time to speak up.

Michael Grant

Fairfield, CT