MONTGOMERY — Members of the Alabama Senate passed legislation on Tuesday by a 25-3 margin, creating a pilot program that would install a speed limit camera system in a highway construction zone.
The bill by State Sen. Josh Carnley (R-Ino) would establish the Alabama Work Zone Safety Act as a pilot program subject to automatic sunset in 2028 to authorize the Alabama Department of Transportation and Alabama Toll Road, Bridge, and Tunnel Authority to procure, install and operate an automated photographic speed enforcement system in one segment of interstate highway declared to be a work zone.
The Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency would be required to prepare a report that studies whether the pilot program is effective in increasing the safety of work zones.
The bill would authorize the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to procure and use a "photographic speed enforcement device" in a work zone on the public highways of the state. The bill would establish a process for the issuance and enforcement of civil traffic citations to the owners of motor vehicles recorded exceeding 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit in a work zone.
According to the bill, speeding violations under the act would be punished by a civil fine of $250.
Carnley said the goal of the bill is "just to slow people down" and protect roadbuilders and construction workers.
"The results that we want is just for people to go within 10 miles per an hour of the speed limit through a work zone," Carnley said on the Senate floor. "I hope nobody gets a ticket. At the end of the day, we would be better off if we didn't collect a single $250 fine but everybody went through there within that 10 mile per an hour buffer of the speed limit."
Carnley continued, "I understand cameras are not something that people enjoy."
"We're just running out of resources. We don't have enough law enforcement to cover these work zones while they're active so this is just an opportunity to try to see is this something that we can do? I think the big takeaway for me is I hope nobody gets a ticket through this. I hope everybody slows down to 45 (miles per hour), goes through there, we don't have accidents that back up the interstate because people are being careless," Carnley said.
The three no votes against the bill in the Senate were State Sen. Tim Melson (R-Florence), State Sen. Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook) and State Sen. Wes Kitchens (R-Arab).
The House version of the bill by State Rep. Mike Kirkland (R-Scottsboro) failed on Tuesday to garner the 60% support needed to pass the budget isolation resolution before a vote on the bill could occur.
"That quarter of a million vehicles that passed on I-85 at the 68-mile post at Opelika. If this enforcement had been in place, it would've raised $40 million for ALEA and the Highway Department," Kirkland said on the House floor.
State Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road) asked about some exclusions in the pilot program.
"Rental cars are not going to get a ticket, and fleet vehicles are not going to get a ticket…why don't we include everybody? I don't understand why you're excluding a car dealer from getting a ticket," Ingram said. "I'm all about raising money, and I'm all about saving lives. I think it needs to apply to everybody."
Kirkland said the driver of the fleet, rental, or dealer vehicle would be subject to the fines, not the ownership company.
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