Speed vans on a roll
Not every bit of business before the Santa Fe City Council can be measured through a political lens, but we would wager that the 5-4 split on whether to hire a company to operate speed vans will surface during upcoming campaigns for council and for the job of mayor.
Voting for speed vans were Councilors Mike Harris, Peter Ives, Signe Lindell and Ron Trujillo, with Carmichael Dominguez making up the crucial fifth vote.
Voting against were Councilors Joseph Maestas, Chris Rivera, Renee Villarreal and Mayor Javier Gonzales. Count us in the against camp.
Cracking down on speeding is a worthy goal, but hiring private, out-of-state contractors to photograph drivers from parked vans is not the best way to make streets safer. As we wrote before the vote, the city has other ways to monitor speeding drivers. There have been too many disturbing issues with the companies operating the programs. There were complaints about how speeding appeals were processed, and most of all, the system leaves little room for wronged drivers to fight an unfair ticket. Due process matters, even with a speeding ticket.
The city’s previous speed-control program (operated from police SUVs) was halted in 2013 after the program operator, Redflex Traffic Systems, became involved in a bribery scandal in other states. The scandal did not reach into Santa Fe, but with private contractors eager to milk Santa Fe speeders for cash, corruption is always a possibility. That must not happen in Santa Fe.
Because of the vote, City Manager Brian Snyder has been directed to reactivate the Santa Fe Traffic Operations Program, or STOP. A new contract will have to go out to bid before a company is hired to run the program. One good change: lower fines. How this plays out politically will be fascinating. Announced mayoral candidate Trujillo voted for speed vans, citing “public safety.” Gonzales did not. The mayor is widely believed to be considering a bid for re-election.
This vote gives Gonzales an opportunity to win back citizens against his proposal for a tax on sugary drinks to fund early childhood education. (Trujillo gained momentum from opposing the tax.) Here’s a reaction from a reader at www. santafenewmexican.com: “Great! Now I know who I will not be voting for for City Council … And who would have thought, I actually have to now consider Mayor Gonzales for a second term (if he decides to run), thanks to Councilor Trujillo.”
There could be repercussions in the races for City Council, too. Councilors Lindell, District 1, and Maestas, District 2, also are running for re-election. She has one opponent, Doug Nava, while Maestas currently is unopposed. This will be just one of many factors for voters to consider, of course.
In opposing the vans, the mayor pointed out — correctly, we would argue — that speeding is but one of many contributing factors to vehicle crashes in Santa Fe. More needs to be done to fight driving under the influence, texting while driving and simply not paying attention. The city also needs to determine whether speeds on some roads are too low for traffic conditions and adjust. Residential speeds of 25 miles per hour no longer work on streets being used as connector roads. Even with the vote to bring back cameras, however, the city can move ahead with creating better awareness of safe driving and enforcement of traffic laws. It should not be an either/or.
As for claims that road safety has deteriorated since the first speed camera program ended, we also agree with Councilor Dominguez, the fifth vote to reinstate STOP. The city must “measure and prove to the public that indeed our streets are getting safer.”
Police statistics show increases in overall traffic accidents each year since the cameras were shut down, as well as an increase in traffic complaints. Whether that is the cause or merely a coincidence, no one can say. At any rate, speed vans are back — or at least they will be once the city asks for bids, accepts a proposal and hires a contractor. It’s a good time to slow down — all the better to take in the political fallout from this vote.