Gov. Hickenlooper Vetoes Red Light Camera Ban
DENVER (CBS4)- Gov. John Hickenlooper has vetoed a bill that would have created a statewide ban on red light cameras-- again.
The governor vetoed similar bills last year and warned this one was all but dead on arrival on his desk, too.
In a letter explaining his veto, Hickenlooper said he repeatedly told lawmakers he would support a bill that limits the cameras to school zones, construction zones and areas prone to accidents. He goes on to state that instead, lawmakers sent him a bill that enacts a state-imposed blanket ban the denies communities the right to decide their own traffic safety needs.
While 20 other states have banned or partially banned the cameras, Colorado is a home rule state where traffic enforcement is largely left to local governments.
This is the fifth year for the legislation that crosses party lines.
Sen. Morgan Carroll, who has carried the bill for the past three years, told CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd that both Democrats and Republicans hate the cameras because they have a high error rate, increase rear-end collisions and are an invasion of privacy. Carroll also said they are seen as a way for local governments to make money without making the roads any safer.
Police insist the red light cameras save lives and reduce serious injury crashes. Nine of the larger cities in Colorado use the cameras, including Aurora, Boulder, Commerce City, Denver, Fort Collins, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree and Pueblo.