Fairfield To Start Issuing Fines For Speed Camera Program Next Week

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield's new speed camera enforcement program will begin issuing fines on Monday as scheduled to motorists who speed through six school zones, despite state Sen. Tony Hwang, R-Fairfield, calling for a pause in the effort for further review.

On Thursday, Hwang called for Fairfield officials to pause and reevaluate the program, citing the number of projected violations and concerns about public understanding of the initiative.

Fairfield’s program includes multiple speed cameras at a half-dozen school zones. According to town estimates, once fines are implemented, the program could generate about $3.2 million in revenue in the first month. During May, only warnings were issued, not fines.

"We are looking at 190,000 projected violations in a single month in Fairfield alone," Hwang said. "Those numbers are staggering and alarming. However, they are not surprising. What they reveal is that speeding and breaking speed limit laws has become normalized in our communities and throughout our state."

Connecticut’s automated traffic enforcement law, Public Act 23-116, was approved in 2023 and allows municipalities to install speed and red-light cameras under state oversight. The law was enacted as part of the state’s Vision Zero traffic safety initiative.

Hwang said he supports the use of traffic cameras as a safety measure but believes Fairfield should increase public education and awareness efforts before moving forward.

"Let me be clear: I support speed and red-light cameras because they are an important tool for police to improve roadway safety," Hwang said. "We also need to recognize the frustration and concern from residents who feel blindsided by the implementation. If people do not fully understand the program, we risk undermining the broader public safety mission."

In a statement to Patch, Fairfield First Selectperson Christine Vitale said that there are no plans to pause the beginning of issuing fines on Monday, but the program will continue to be reviewed.

"We’re working in concert with the Police Department and have no plans to pause the program at this time, but we will continue to assess the program’s effectiveness and make adjustments as appropriate," Vitale said. "The warning period exists to provide town-wide awareness and notification to those who might be exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 10 mph. Our goal is to change driver behavior and reduce speeding in areas where pedestrians are most vulnerable. Studies show that even small reductions in speed can dramatically improve the chances of surviving a crash."

Greenwich, which installed speed cameras in school zones last fall, halted the program after a few months due to complaints from residents.

Hwang said the state law was intended to improve safety in areas such as school zones and encourage long-term changes in driver behavior.

"This is not about punishment," Hwang said. "This is about changing a culture of speeding that has become commonplace. One life lost on our roadways is one too many."

Hwang also called on town officials to remove projected traffic camera revenue from Fairfield’s general fund budget and instead dedicate those funds to roadway safety efforts.

Vitale agrees that the revenue generated by the program will be dedicated to road safety.

"We plan to move the revenue out of the Police budget and will identify projects that will be used against that revenue, targeted to roadway safety and to the costs associated with the [Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Device] program," Vitale said.

She added, "Protecting children and providing safety in our school zones in our first priority. The large number of warnings issued demonstrates that speeding in school zones is a significant concern. Statistically we are already seeing a decrease in speeding based on the warnings."

"We wrote the 2023 law in a way that was explicit that funds generated through these programs must be dedicated to roadway safety purposes only," Hwang said. "The projected revenue should be placed into a dedicated roadway safety account for education, signage, awareness, and traffic safety improvements and not viewed as general operating revenue."