Greenwich RTM Votes On School Zone Speed Camera Program After Marathon Meeting

GREENWICH, CT — As the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting prepared to vote early Tuesday on whether to submit the town's school-zone speed camera plan to the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" played over the speakers — an apt soundtrack for the night's main event agenda item.

Shortly before 1:30 a.m., RTM Moderator Alexis Voulgaris stepped up to the podium to announce the vote.

The RTM approved the submission of the plan to the state with 100 in favor, 60 opposed and three abstentions - a vote that will essentially reinstate the speed camera program after it was paused for several months.

The program was slowly rolled out last fall, ultimately culminating with 18 cameras in nine different school zone locations, but it was halted in April after it was discovered the town had not held a required public hearing.

The public hearing was then held in May, and residents voiced concerns over privacy and data collection, camera locations, fines, signage, and motivation for the program.

Many of those talking points, notably concerns about the locations of the speeding cameras, were reiterated during Monday's RTM meeting, which was held at Central Middle School. The school zone speed camera program was debated for around two hours.

Those in favor of approving the speed camera plan noted the town was now following the correct process and that the program was overwhelmingly effective.

According to police, prior to the cameras being installed, a one-week traffic study was conducted, and 36,922 violations were noted across eight school zones.

During the public education phase of the program, speeding incidents were reduced to 15,319 per week (41 percent).

Once tickets were mailed out, weekly violations were reduced to 2,863 (a 92 percent reduction from the original rate). Police said the program reduced the most extreme threat - speeders exceeding 21 mph over the limit - by 91 percent.

The cameras only detect vehicles exceeding the speed limit in school zones and will only be enforced when school is in session, when lights are flashing, and when children are on school grounds. Citations are mailed out to offenders.

"The cameras work. They document that people are speeding in school zones - not occasionally, but consistently," said state Rep. Steve Meskers (D-151), an RTM member from District 6.

Meskers said enforcement with actual police officers in school zones would be inefficient and costly, with points potentially going towards licenses and fines going to the state.

Under Greenwich's program, no points are taken, and money collected from fines is to be used only for traffic safety improvements in the areas of education, engineering, and enforcement in town.

Additionally, release of the funds must be approved by the town's Board of Estimate and Taxation before they can be used.

"We have a plan created by our police department that follows state law and places cameras in school zones with documented excessive speeding activity. The plan has achieved a dramatic reduction in speeding, and directly addressed repeated resident pleas to do something," said James Waters, an RTM member from District 12 who is also chair of the RTM Budget Overview Committee.

"It's hard to argue with the demonstrated results to date," he added, noting the plan was overwhelmingly endorsed by eight RTM committees and districts.

RTM member Susan Fahey of District 11 said her district was "very much in support" of traffic cameras, just not the locations, the current signage and the blinking lights.

"I think the problem is still we have these signs that are illegible, with different fonts, and some with blinking lights, and we're asking these things be rectified," she said.

Sam Rosenfeld of District 1 said he believed the public would support the idea of having cameras in particular locations if it had a say in where the cameras should be.

"I think it's worth starting over from that square one so we can actually make our roads safe," he said.

A motion from District 11 to postpone the item until September so more concerns could be addressed by town officials was rejected by a vote of 39 in favor, 132 opposed, and one abstention.

Those against postponement said the town's safety plan would essentially come back unchanged.

Several RTM members claimed that certain camera locations, especially those with more pedestrian activity, were ignored.

Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey said the speed camera vendor, Blue Line Solutions, did not select the locations for the speed cameras. Rather, they were selected by Greenwich police based on data that showed areas with the highest levels of speeding.

"This is not just pedestrian safety, it's traffic safety. Some of the schools that have been mentioned where people think there shouldn't be a camera, there are young drivers driving vehicles to and from school, on school buses, and school buses that have been involved in accidents," Heavey said.

On data and privacy concerns, police have said the speed camera program is required to be Criminal Justice Information System compliant, meaning that all data must be rigorously protected.

Cameras are only active when a vehicle is actively speeding, and clips are seconds long. Data is deleted 30 days after the violation is adjudicated. Additionally, police have said there is no live recording, and the rear of vehicles are captured, not the driver's identity.

Heavey addressed several resident concerns in a letter from last month.

On Tuesday morning, the GPD issued another letter from Heavey thanking the RTM for its support for the program.

"This proposal did not originate in our department’s preferences; it grew directly out of what we heard from residents. Speeding and reckless driving have consistently ranked among the most frequent and urgent complaints brought to this department, at neighborhood meetings, through our complaint line, and in conversations with Greenwich residents themselves," Heavey said.

"Residents told us, repeatedly, that they do not feel safe on their own streets. Last night’s vote gives us a better, more consistent tool to respond to exactly that concern."

Heavey said the department "remains fully committed to confronting speeding and the safety risks it creates."

The department will continue to review and, if necessary, amend the speed camera program, Heavey noted. Any amendments must come with a public hearing and return to the RTM for approval.

Additionally, Heavey said officers will "continue to deploy targeted speed and traffic enforcement and respond to residents’ reports of dangerous driving; work with Public Works, Traffic Engineering, and the BOS Traffic Authority on engineering and traffic-calming measures alongside enforcement; keep residents informed at every stage and maintain open lines of communication with those who experience these problems every day."

"I also want to assure residents that this program will be administered with a focus on safety, not revenue, and with appropriate safeguards and public notice," Heavey added.

"I welcome the opportunity to continue this conversation with the RTM and with residents as we move forward. The goal - safer streets for the people of Greenwich - has always been a shared one, and last night’s vote brings us closer to it."