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Town hears pitch for stop‑sign camera pilot to curb dangerous cut‑through traffic
Summary
A representative from Avia told Fairmount Heights council the solar‑powered stop‑sign cameras are designed to reduce pedestrian injuries and demonstrated high violation rates during a pilot; cameras require county council approval for placement and are permanent poles, not mobile trailers.
Chase, a representative of Avia, outlined a proposed stop‑sign camera pilot to the Fairmount Heights Town Council on Nov. 20, saying the system automatically documents stop‑sign violations and aims to reduce collisions and pedestrian injuries. “The program is to prevent, basically traffic collisions, but specifically, injuries or pedestrian fatalities, that would occur in intersections where stop signs are present,” Chase said.
Chase told the council his team had already done one local traffic study and observed about a 75% violation rate at the intersection used for testing, and that locations for ticketing must be approved by the county council. “The locations that you all decide on have to be approved by the county council,” he said, adding that the county reviews locations in batches and that a first batch had recently been approved.
He described the units as solar‑powered poles (not trailers) that run on batteries, meaning no new utility hookups are required. While the poles that issue citations are permanent, Chase said Avia can deploy additional non‑ticketing cameras to provide traffic intelligence: “We can put more cameras in that are not solely for ticketing because the cameras are not mobile,” he said, explaining those can show vehicle speed, whether a pedestrian is present and other context.
Council members asked whether cameras can be relocated later and whether initial contracts lock the town into long deployments. Chase said the poles themselves are fixed once installed but the company can allocate which units are actively ticketing or used for intelligence and can discuss reallocating coverage over time.
Police Chief (name withheld) supported the idea of the pilot, citing cut‑through traffic and school‑zone concerns and noting some violations are committed by nonresidents: “85% of the violators who are running these stop signs, cutting through the town, do not live in the town of Fairmount Heights,” he said.
Councilmembers emphasized the need to coordinate with the county council, review any required ordinance language that would authorize automated enforcement, and examine pilot data prior to committing to a long‑term contract. The presentation concluded with councilmembers requesting a copy of the ordinance other municipalities used and additional traffic studies before any formal action.
The council did not vote on authorizing a contract; members asked staff to circulate the model ordinance and additional study results for review at a future meeting.
