CLEVELAND -
In dozens of places around Cleveland, drivers who speed or run a red light, can expect a ticket in the mail. But if one Ohio organization gets its way, voters might get the chance to decide whether the cameras stay or go.
Friday afternoon, protesters demonstrate in front of the busiest traffic camera in Cleveland at East 71st and Chester. They're kicking off a petition drive to put a proposal to ban all traffic cameras on the November ballot.
"It's a charter amendment that will prevent unmanned red light and speeding cameras in the city...tickets would have to be issued by a law enforcement officer like they always were," said Christopher Finney.
He is from a Cincinnati-based group called COAST, "Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes" which helped organize the petition drive. The group was successful in banning traffic cameras in Cincinnati two years ago and wants to do the same in Cleveland, Garfield Heights and other Ohio cities.
"It shouldn't be about finances, the whole reason these cameras are being installed in Garfield Heights is to create revenue for the city on the backs of the hard-working people," said Frank Wagner, former Garfield Heights council president.
"I have had hundreds of phone calls since the end of January, people all over this city are willing to come out, participate, carry a petition and see this thing through," said Cleveland resident Maryanne Petranek, with the group Cuyahoga County for Liberty.
"It has proven effective, and hopefully the citizens of our community will recognize our streets are a little safer because of this tool," responded Cleveland's law director Robert Triozzi.
He says drivers who obey the traffic laws have nothing to worry about.
"The idea here is to have people to comply with the rules of the road, whether or not it's an officer that encourages people to abide by the law, whether it's a judge or a court, or whether it's just people's natural tendency to know that there's some consequence to this," Triozzi said.
COAST says it needs 9,000 signatures to get the proposed ban on the November ballot. That's around the same time the city's contract with the camera company expires.
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Friday afternoon, protesters demonstrate in front of the busiest traffic camera in Cleveland at East 71st and Chester. They're kicking off a petition drive to put a proposal to ban all traffic cameras on the November ballot.
"It's a charter amendment that will prevent unmanned red light and speeding cameras in the city...tickets would have to be issued by a law enforcement officer like they always were," said Christopher Finney.
He is from a Cincinnati-based group called COAST, "Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes" which helped organize the petition drive. The group was successful in banning traffic cameras in Cincinnati two years ago and wants to do the same in Cleveland, Garfield Heights and other Ohio cities.
"It shouldn't be about finances, the whole reason these cameras are being installed in Garfield Heights is to create revenue for the city on the backs of the hard-working people," said Frank Wagner, former Garfield Heights council president.
"I have had hundreds of phone calls since the end of January, people all over this city are willing to come out, participate, carry a petition and see this thing through," said Cleveland resident Maryanne Petranek, with the group Cuyahoga County for Liberty.
"It has proven effective, and hopefully the citizens of our community will recognize our streets are a little safer because of this tool," responded Cleveland's law director Robert Triozzi.
He says drivers who obey the traffic laws have nothing to worry about.
"The idea here is to have people to comply with the rules of the road, whether or not it's an officer that encourages people to abide by the law, whether it's a judge or a court, or whether it's just people's natural tendency to know that there's some consequence to this," Triozzi said.
COAST says it needs 9,000 signatures to get the proposed ban on the November ballot. That's around the same time the city's contract with the camera company expires.
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