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Council orders removal of Ruggles Avenue speed camera, votes to relocate unit to Admiral Kalfas Boulevard
Summary
After more than an hour of debate, the Newport City Council voted to remove the speed camera on Ruggles Avenue and relocate it to Admiral Kalfas Boulevard to gather data for RIDOT. Councilors approved an amendment 4–3 and the resolution passed as amended; the vendor quoted roughly $89,528 for moving the unit.
The Newport City Council voted on an amended resolution to remove the automated speed camera on Ruggles Avenue and relocate the unit to Admiral Kalfas Boulevard, a site the city manager and police chief say will provide traffic data for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
The amendment to remove the Ruggles camera and offer it for relocation to Admiral Kalfas Boulevard passed 4–3; the council then approved the resolution as amended. The vendor quoted $89,528.28 to remove and reinstall the device, which the police chief described as covering electrical work, concrete removal, site studies and related architecture work.
The vote followed an extended debate over process, community notification and cost. Ryan Duffy, chief of police, told the council the vendor produced a specific removal quote of $89,528.28 but the department has asked the vendor for a breakdown. Duffy also said the city pays about $2,900 per month for the speed camera unit’s contract.
Supporters of removal, including Ward councilors who raised concerns about the camera’s installation without broader public outreach, said the council had previously voted to take the camera down and that residents in the southern Third Ward demanded removal and community meetings. Opponents of immediate removal urged patience, arguing a camera on Admiral Kalfas Boulevard is already scheduled and imminent and that the city should first complete community engagement and cost reviews.
Olivia Nagel, a Newport resident who spoke during public comment, urged prudence in spending city funds and recommended preserving the unit for other locations rather than spending on an expensive removal if a new camera is imminent.
Under the council’s amended motion, the city will take steps to remove the Ruggles Avenue camera and offer it for relocation to Admiral Kalfas Boulevard to supply RIDOT with traffic data; council members also asked staff to produce a detailed cost breakdown from the vendor and to schedule the community meetings previously requested.
The council clerk recorded the amendment vote as 4–3 in favor (Councillors Stephanie Smythe, [first name not specified in transcript] Combs, Penick, and Carlin recorded by the clerk as voting for the amendment). The final, amended resolution was adopted by the council that evening.
Next steps identified by councilors included: a vendor cost breakdown for removal/relocation, confirmation of any contractual obligations the city has with the camera vendor, and scheduling of community meetings before any activation of ticketing enforcement at relocated camera sites.
