More Evidence That Speed Cameras Work

The evidence is clear: Speed cameras save lives.

Here's the latest success story -- an update from Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland on the city's first speed camera, which was installed on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway last month:

Here are some facts about the BHH camera released by PBOT today:

• Before the cameras were installed, an average 1,417 vehicles a day traveled 51 mph or faster, according to readings by a pneumatic tube laid across the roadway.
• During the warning period from Aug. 24 to Sept. 18, an average 93 vehicles a day were found traveling 51 mph or faster — a 93.4 percent reduction from the tube count.
• In the first week of the warning period, cameras recorded an average 115 violations a day. Violations dropped to an average 72 a day by the week of Sept. 12 to 18.

Think of all the collisions and injuries that could be prevented with more automated speed enforcement in Portland alone. It will be interesting to see further results as the program expands.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Cyclelicious responds to a Tennessee law professor's outrageous assertion that drivers should have a right to run over protestors who stand in their way. Transport Providence writes that reducing local car taxes in Rhode Island may not be the best way to help low-income people. And The Political Environment reports that highway fatalities in Wisconsin are up after the state raised speed limits -- and no one should be surprised.