A proposal to install red-light cameras in urban areas is back before the Connecticut legislature. The measure died in 2011 when the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee refused to consider it.
The latest incarnation of the proposal is HB 5554, and was submitted by Rep. Roland J. Lemar, D-New Haven. The bill states that red-light cameras could be installed in any city with a population of 48,000 or more "to increase safety by reducing the number of red light violations."
The cameras are used in other states and are credited with raising millions of dollars in revenues from fines issued to motorists.
The Connecticut bill is currently pending before the transportation committee and is awaiting a public hearing.
The measure has the backing of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, though officials in his office say the governor wants to review the proposal, according to an NBC news report.
A similar measure Lemar submitted last year died in committee after civil libertarians and others raised privacy concerns and whether red-light cameras violate individual rights.
