A key state lawmaker says it’s unlikely that part of the mayor’s legislative agenda will pass.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg wants cameras that automatically issue speeding and traffic tickets, but he needs state law to change first — and that change faces significant resistance.
Right now, Kentucky only allows automated cameras in highway work zones, and those operate differently from what Greenberg is proposing.
Work Zone Cameras Require Trooper Follow-Up
Yellow warning lights alert drivers to speed cameras along Interstate 64 in Shelby County. When drivers see the signs, brake lights light up, according to Kentucky State Police Sgt. Matt Sudduth.
“It’s not about tickets, that’s not what this is about,” Sudduth said. “That’s just a tool to encourage safe driving behavior.”
Work zone cameras send images of speeding vehicles to troopers, who then locate the driver and make a traffic stop.
“They can wait at the end of the work zone, locate the vehicle, make a traffic stop, and have that conversation, make that determination on whether they’re gonna write the citation or not,” Sudduth said. “We will not send a citation in the mail, by email, text, none of that.”
Mayor Wants Fully Automated Enforcement
Greenberg’s plan goes further. He wants fully automated speeding and red-light cameras in Louisville that would send tickets directly to violators.
“We’re also seeking help with automated enforcement tools that help prevent deadly speeding in high-risk areas,” Greenberg said during a Nov. 18 news conference.
Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey also supports the idea.
“Automated traffic enforcement is a great tool that we should have available to us,” Humphrey said in October.
State Lawmakers Oppose Change
But the mayor and police chief can’t move forward unless state law changes — and lawmakers aren’t interested, according to Sen. Jimmy Higdon, chair of the Transportation Committee.
“There’s a lot of pushback on that type of enforcement in Frankfort from our members in the General Assembly, so we’re not quite ready for that here in Kentucky,” Higdon said. “What’s proposed is just get a ticket in the mail. It takes your picture. There’s no due process.”
Even limiting automated enforcement to Louisville wouldn’t solve the issue, he added.
“If you allowed sporadic counties to do it, you wouldn’t know, going through a county, if they were doing speed cameras or not,” Higdon said. “So I think it needs to be universal if you do it.”
But Higdon said lawmakers have no interest in universal automated enforcement.
Increased Traffic Patrols Instead
Kentucky State Police recently increased patrols across Louisville’s interstates and highways, making 63 traffic stops last Wednesday alone.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also expanded its own traffic patrols under new leadership following the death of former Sheriff John Aubrey.
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