Around New England

New School-Zone Speeding Cameras Draw Record Number of Appeals on First Day

March 6, 2018

Nearly 2,700 people showed up at Providence Municipal Court to appeal speeding tickets generated by five new cameras installed in school zones on Monday, as opposed to the usual 300.

The cameras and vehicle detectors are designed to identify how fast a car is going and take a picture of those that are going at least 11 miles per hour over the speed limit.

Judge Frank Caprio dismissed problematic $95 tickets that included photographs of cars too dark to make them out and contradictory information. He also said speeding tickets should be issued to promote “public safety — not revenue enhancement,” according to the Providence Journal.

Supporters, including Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, say the speed cameras will improve safety.

But state Representative Anthony Giarusso (R-East Greenwich) calls the cameras “nothing more than a government cash grab.”

He is sponsoring Rhode Island House Bill 7760, which would get rid of all speeding and red-light cameras in the state.