Council delays vote on speed van program

A decision on whether to bring unmanned speedmonitoring vehicles back to Santa Fe streets will wait at least a month, the City Council decided Wednesday night, delaying a vote on reviving a traffic enforcement program that would employ radarand camera-equipped SUVs to spot speeders and issue tickets.

Councilor Mike Harris — one of four co-sponsors, along with Councilors Peter Ives, Signe Lindell and Ron Trujillo, a candidate for mayor — asked to postpone the vote to an August council meeting. The rest of the council assented.

Harris cited new data he had seen and conversations with Santa Fe police Chief Patrick Gallagher, as well as other councilors, in offering a reason for seeking the delay.

The renewal of the dormant program by the ninemember governing body is by no means assured, though having four co-sponsors and presumptive votes in favor suggest short odds. Legislative and advisory committee hearings drew a mixed response from other councilors.

The proposal has been heralded by proponents as a cost-efficient improvement to roadway safety, which some said has deteriorated in the years since the automated enforcement program was scrapped.

But the Santa Fe Traffic Operations Program, or STOP, which was launched in 2008 and concluded in 2013, had its share of detractors who viewed the SUVs as ineffective and an overreach of surveillance. Others found fault in the mechanism for contesting the tickets issued by the automated system.

The STOP measure is tentatively scheduled to be heard at the Aug. 30 council meeting.