Speed cameras may be coming to PA

HARRISBURG — A proposal buried inside a transportation bill in Harrisburg would allow speed cameras to track and ticket drivers in highway construction zones.

Here's how it works: if you speed, the camera snaps a picture of your license plate, and a ticket comes in the mail.

State Representative Ron Waters, a sponsor of the bill, said the measure will save lives and make conditions safer for highway workers.

Supporters say the cameras will get drivers to slow down as they travel through work zones. At the same time, they say, the troopers normally stationed at these work areas will be able to pursue other police work.

But opponents say the cameras have never really fully been tested, and are used not for safety but simply to generate revenue.

AAA Mid-Atlantic, which covers the Delaware Valley and Maryland, experienced the problems when a speed camera in Baltimore issued one of its trucks a speeding ticket for going 57 in a 25-mphr zone. But video from the camera shows the truck almost stopped.

"It wasn't even moving and it got a ticket," said Jenny Robinson, a spokesperson for AAA. "That's one example of the concerns that we have with automatic enforcement. If it's not accurate, then there's no point in using it."

AAA says cameras can help improve safety, but it's important that camera companies are not paid per ticket.

"Obviously there's an incentive for them to issue more tickets," Robinson said.