A presentation was given at the Storm Lake City Council meeting yesterday (Mon) regarding the possibility of traffic enforcement cameras being installed in the community.
Sensys Gatso is a leading provider of automated traffic enforcement solutions. Company representative Rick Willing said studies from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed automated red light and speed enforcement is effective…(audio clip below :39 )
A traffic study was recently conducted at nine different locations in Storm Lake. At county road C-49 and Prairie Road, 47-percent of traffic was found to be going 11 miles-per-hour or more over the speed limit, which Willing called “very high.” Data indicates there have been 650 crashes in Storm Lake since 2018, which resulted in 195 injuries.
Sensys Gatso has contracts in 11 Iowa cities, including Fort Dodge, Independence, and Oelwein. Willing said community awareness is very important…(audio clip below :34 )
Willing said they also recommend significant signage in the areas where the cameras are placed, as they are trying to change driver behavior and improve traffic safety. Willing estimates there would be a 75-percent reduction in speeding in places their technology is installed. He said there would be no up-front cost to the City for their service.
Storm Lake Police Chief Chris Cole said there should be discussions between the council, police officers, and community members regarding where the cameras would be placed. City Manager Keri Navratil said research began due to some citizen complaints, and the City has been looking at possible solutions to improve traffic safety for the last several months.
All of the council members agreed to gather more information and continue discussions on possibly implementing automated traffic enforcement cameras in Storm Lake.
