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To the Editor:

With its upcoming rollout of speed and red-light cameras, West Hartford has taken a major step towards reducing pedestrian and cyclist accidents and fatalities and curbing traffic violence. On the town’s website, Vision Zero covers a number of questions on the implementation and use of these cameras, but some weighty questions remain regarding their real-world effectiveness:

1. If a driver is fined for a red-light or speeding violation, what’s the escalation process if the ticket goes unpaid? Does the fine on unpaid tickets increase, is interest collected? How is the town going to follow up on unpaid tickets if the recipient simply ignores them?
2. The West Hartford Police have reported that upwards of 70% of traffic on major arteries like South Main St, Trout Brook, New Britain Ave., etc. is from out-of-town drivers, so the number is significant. If out-of-town or out-of-state violators get a ticket in the mail and choose to simply ignore it, what happens to them? Is the enforcement disproportionately hitting West Hartford drivers while letting out-of-town drivers off the hook?
3. Even if the CT DMV is notified about unpaid traffic fines from these cameras, what enforcement actions will they take? Does the money collected by the DMV flow back to West Hartford?
4. Lots of dark gray tinted and clear plastic license plate covers are popping up on cars all across West Hartford and the rest of Connecticut. The sole purpose of these covers is to make license plates unreadable by video cameras as well as by the police. For $15 on Amazon, drivers can buy clear plastic license plate covers that create glare and reflections that interfere with an automated camera system’s ability to read license plate numbers. These cheap plastic covers effectively neutralize both speed and red-light cameras. Connecticut already has laws on the books, C.G.S. § 14-147 and C.G.S. § 14-18, banning these covers and stipulating fines up to $500, but enforcement is nonexistent. What action will be taken to enforce the law already on the books and fine these offenders?
5. Why isn’t there a substantial increase in fines for repeat offenders, especially for those who have committed similar or worse traffic violations in other towns?

Sherman Schlar
West Hartford