Dayton Red Light and Speed Cameras Still Bad News
Dayton red light cameras are still on!
Dayton has 30 speed and red light cameras in use throughout the city. Despite a law passed by the Ohio legislature, the cameras remain running due to a decision by Judge Barbara Gorman in the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Court. Due to the Dayton ruling, and similar rulings in Toldeo and Akron, the cameras are running until the matters are fully litigated in the courts. For opponents of the cameras the outlook is bleak if the courts have the final say. In 2008 and again in December of 2014, the Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the use of the cameras.
The rulings and intense lobbying from municipalities are working. Governor Kasich is expected to veto the legislative efforts to end (via regulation) the Dayton red light and speed camera programs. The use of cameras as a subversive tax is controversial, but the jurisdictions use this money as a substantial portion of their budgets.
Some communities like Middletown, Hamilton, Springfield, Trotwood and West Carrollton suspended their use on March 23 — the day the law took effect. Other cities (like Dayton) challenged the restrictions in court. Some people believed that the cameras were turned off, and Dayton has been reaping in increased revenue from this misperception. From Jan. 1 2014 until March 27 of that year, Dayton’s speed ticket cameras issued 8,160 tickets. In the same period this year, the number jumped to 10,523, or a 29 percent rise, records from the city of Dayton show. Red light violations in the same period last year were 1,821. That jumped to 2,312 this year, or 27 percent.
It looks like the only recourse that citizens opposed to these Dayton red light and speed cameras will have is the ballot box. If you vote for city commissioners, mayors, county commissioners and judges who support this invisible tax, you can expect the cameras continue to roll and the money will continue to role in.
Babb & Rowland, LLC is a traffic defense law firm located in Fairborn, Ohio. If you would like to speak to an attorney about your Dayton red light ticket, please call (937) 318-1384.