Posted on: Friday, January 18, 2002

EDITORIAL
Traffic cam program needs some tweaking

Right from the get-go, the state's jarring campaign to catch speeders and red-light runners has been a public relations catastrophe, incurring widespread wrath. Debate is healthy, but in this case, the rage over the traffic camera enforcement program is so loud that it threatens to drown out the critical matters that our Legislature must now deal with, such as balancing the budget and reviving an anemic economy.

Do we really want this controversy to disrupt the legislative session and the 2002 election? We urge Gov. Ben Cayetano and the state Department of Transportation to revise the program and make it more user-friendly.

There's no denying the traffic camera enforcement program got off to a bad start. Instead of holding public meetings and getting community input during the planning stages, the DOT launched a minimalist education campaign along the lines of: Here's how it works. You've got a two-week warning period to get with the program and down to speed.

As a result, the bulk of Hawai'i motorists haven't bought into the venture. And as any cop will tell you, it's tough to enforce laws that the citizenry doesn't trust or respect. Now some might argue that motorists would despise the hidden cameras, with or without a public relations campaign to ease everyone into the slow lane. And they'd be right.

But the DOT might have gained more converts to the program if it had included the public in discussions about where the cameras are most needed and what are reasonable speed limits. Why, even the city is withdrawing from parts of the program, saying the camera vans are contributing to reckless driving.

Meanwhile, DOT spokeswoman Marilyn Kali is declaring a victory because drivers are slowing down. Yes, drivers have slowed down, but are our roads really safer?

Hit the Pali Highway and you'll see motorists with their eyes glued to the speedometer, occasionally swerving into other lanes. There also are sections where commuters are speeding up when there's no traffic van in sight and then hitting the brakes as soon as one comes into view.

As for the plight of van operators, who have become the target of road rage and obscene gestures, don't take it out on them. It's just their job.

Bottom line, it's time for everyone to step back and see how the program can be tweaked so that it makes sense to most folks. It'll never be popular, but at least it can be something we can all live with.