DALTON, Ga. — The future of traffic light cameras here is uncertain.
The City Council last week delayed a decision on the five cameras in operation, saying the panel needs more time to study the economics and safety impact of the cameras.
Police Chief Jason Parker supports keeping the cameras and has stated his support to both the Dalton Public Safety Commission and the City Council.
The Public Safety Commission voted in September to recommend continuing the program, but the City Council will have the final decision.
Councilwoman Denise Wood could not attend Monday’s meeting.
Mayor David Pennington would only vote on the issue in case of a tie, but he said he adamantly opposes continued use of the cameras.
Chief Parker, though, said the cameras contribute to safety.
“The data show that the number of crashes in and around these intersections is declining, as well as the number of violations; both of which were the goals of the program,” he said.
The Dalton Police Department uses the cameras, at the intersections of Shugart Road/U.S. Highway 41 and Waugh Street/Thornton Avenue, to issue tickets to motorists that run red lights.
The two cameras at Waugh/Thornton have been in use since July 2007, and three cameras at Shugart/U.S. 41 were activated in January. The camera system is under contract with LaserCraft Inc. for $4,795 per month, and the city can terminate the contract at any time.
Mr. Pennington said he thinks about half of the tickets issued are for rolling right hand turns, citations he said are unnecessary. “I’ve seen policemen and deputy sheriffs do that here,” he said about the failure to completely stop.
“If it’s a big money loser, we don’t need to be doing it period,” the mayor said. “If you took out (rolling right hand turns) — the last time I looked at it — it was a money loser, as far as what we had to pay for the cameras and the service versus how much the ticket revenue was.”
Councilman Charlie Bethel said he has yet to decide how he will vote. He said statistics on whether the cameras increase safety, and the costs, factor in his decision.
Mr. Bethel said it makes more sense to have camera costs carried by the lawbreakers rather than spread across all taxpayers.
“The cameras pay for themselves, based on our experience,” he said. “We are studying the financial picture, and it appears that they do not place a burden on the taxpayer.
“If drivers are more compliant, then there should be less accidents with injuries and, accordingly, less emergency care needed,” Mr. Bethel said. “Emergency care does place a burden on the taxpayer.”
City Councilman and Public Safety Commission member George Sadosuk said he favors keeping the cameras. He said they are making the intersections safer and raise driver awareness at the traffic lights.
