Traffic Cameras, House Bills, And Political Contributions

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

In the April 16 Sentinel, we covered the traffic speeding cameras outside Dade County High School (DCHS) here locally, but there’s also news on the state level. House Bill 651 and House Bill 225 still have a ways to go before possibly becoming law, but HB 225 in particular raised some discussion among citizens who dislike the “speed detection devices,” as the bills call them.

HB 651 cleans up some language and requirements in O.C.G.A. 40-14-2 governing traffic cameras in school zones. The cameras at Dade County High School already comply with the majority of the new requirements in the bill, so it’s doubtful that we would see much impact here locally should this bill become law.

HB 225, on the other hand, makes amendments throughout O.C.G.A. 40-14-2 but also prohibits local governing bodies or law enforcement agencies from entering into or renewing contracts on or after July 1, 2027, for the use of “automated traffic enforcement safety devices.”

The bill also would “repeal all laws relative to enforcement of speeding violations in school zones through the use of automated traffic enforcement safety devices.” It’s unclear exactly what the impact of this would be.

Part of the bill tightens up the testing requirements for radar equipment. Blue Line Solution’s cameras by DCHS use lidar instead of radar, so it’s unclear if this portion of the bill would apply to Dade’s situation.

Senator Colton Moore (District 53) voted against HB 651 but voted for HB 225. Rep. Mike Cameron (District 1) voted for both bills.

Cameron told the Sentinel that he’s heard from other representatives who say the cameras are a means of enhancing revenue in their districts. He hadn’t heard complaints specifically from his constituents, but others were hearing complaints from their districts.

Cameron said traffic cameras do some good but also do some harm, and, “We’ve made it all these years without them.”

He referenced the cameras in Red Bank, Tenn., that were removed in 2012 after businesses complained that their sales had decreased due to citizens avoiding the cameras. (These cameras watched intersections, rather than school zones, and focused on red lights and failure to stop. News reports from that era of Red Bank’s history indicate that the decision to remove the cameras was controversial because some worried there would be an increase in crime and felt that drivers simply needed to follow the laws and signs.)

Cameron touched on another law related to traffic and student safety, Addy’s Law, which he is in favor of. This law places heavy consequences on drivers who pass a stopped school bus when children are boarding or disembarking. It also requires schools to plan bus routes so that students don’t have to cross roads with speed limits higher than 40 miles per hour.

Moore said, “No camera should be writing citations. This isn’t George Orwell’s 1984. This is America 1776!”

The Sentinel asked why he voted against HB 651, and he responded, “651 took away oversight from the school system, giving authority directly to law enforcement.”

Moore believes that both bills have a very small chance of becoming law and said that there is disagreement among legislators on the bills. One faction wants to repeal these cameras altogether while the other faction has close lobbying ties with the camera companies, per Moore.

Moore isn’t the only person noticing connections between companies like Blue Line Solutions and politicians. Per information obtained by “The Georgia Virtue,” Blue Line Solutions contributed $4,000 to Georgia Republican senators, representatives, and committees in 2021, $6,000 in 2022, $56,500 in 2023, and $43,500 in 2024.

RedSpeed Georgia made even larger donations in those years. Both of these companies specifically handle cameras in school zones.

Refer to “The Georgia Virtue’s” article “School Zone Speed Camera Companies Have Funneled $588,000+ to Georgia Lawmakers, Officials” for the complete contribution lists.

For at least the next year, citizens will not see any change to current camera methods, but Moore said no changes are better than the changes in HB 651 which take away power from local school boards. He added, “I doubt this will be a forefront issue going into the next session, considering it’s an election session. It’s controversial enough that the two factions will probably draw a truce.”

Speaking specifically about GA-136 by DCHS, Moore said, “The best use of the money for public safety would be to build the long overdue sidewalk.” Instead of private companies making a profit from the cameras, Moore believes all the revenue should go to the local government to be used for public safety, like building sidewalks in Dade County.