Georgia bill would bar school zone speed cameras

Proposed legislation in Georgia would bar speed cameras in school zones, overturning a state law allowing cities and counties to use them.

While House Bill 225 bars automated cameras, it does not prevent authorities from using radars to detect drivers’ speeds. The measure was assigned to the House Committee on Motor Vehicles.

“This is about revenue by citation. It is taxation by citation, and it is wrong,” FOX 5 Atlanta quoted State Rep. Dale Washburn, R-Macon, as saying. “Local governments are raking in huge amounts of money across the state of Georgia, and our citizens are being victimized by it.”

In 2018, lawmakers passed the measure allowing the cameras. A state lawmaker introduced a similar bill last session but it did not advance.

“So a lot of us felt like it’s time to bring some accountability not only to the manufacturer but also the taxing districts that are sending out these tickets,” WJCL-TV quoted state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, as saying. “At the very least, what [the bill] would do, once it’s through committee, is put some accountability back to the folks that make these things and take some of the hassle factor out of the folks to get these tickets.”