EDITORIAL
Traffic cam program deserves to be rescued

It takes both houses to repeal the state's traffic photo enforcement law. So the present standoff in the state Legislature over the fate of the controversial program makes for an interesting cliffhanger.

But don't be fooled by what might turn out to be pure political posturing. Both sides are probably closer than they're letting on.

Officially, the House wants to tweak the state's unpopular effort to nab speeders and red-light runners while the Senate has now voted to scrap it altogether. The Senate's unanimous vote to repeal the program sends it to a conference committee, where both sides will attempt to iron out their differences.

We hope they can reach a middle ground. After all, both seem to agree there's a need to crack down on reckless driving, but that the effort created by the state Department of Transportation has significant flaws. As lawmakers, they also must be aware that if they kill this program, it'll be virtually impossible to introduce related new traffic enforcement legislation in the wake of the program's unpopularity.

If that's the outcome, we'd prefer to see the existing program saved, yet sharply refocused on red-light runners and truly reckless speeders.

As it stands, the House has approved a bill that would keep the traffic cameras, but would prevent citations from affecting insurance rates and would pay the traffic camera vendor a flat fee instead of a per-ticket amount. That's a good start, but lawmakers could go a lot further to make the program more credible.

The Senate's unanimous vote to repeal the program has essentially turned over its fate to the House, which can withdraw from the conference committee if a compromise isn't reached. Unfortunately, that would saddle Hawai'i with the existing photo enforcement law until next year. Right now, lawmakers have a chance to revamp an ill-conceived program and make Hawai'i's roads safer. Let's hope they make an honest effort that doesn't just hang on winning votes.