Heads up, drivers. The U.S. Transportation Secretary wants more speed cameras on our nation's roads.
President Biden's transportation secretary is getting lots of pushback after unveiling his plan to buy $17 billion worth of speed cameras for America’s roadways. Pete Buttigieg claims installing robot-controlled cameras and lowering speed limits will make our roads safer. However, the National Motorists Association disagrees with that assessment. Terri Hall, founder of Texans for Toll-free Highways, says the move is part of the Biden administration's “war on cars”.
“They want to force you out of your car, and to make you take mass transit or take a bike or go on foot everyone you need to go in life,” Hall said. “That’s just not practical in a state the size and breadth of Texas.”
Buttigieg also claims cameras are less racially biased than cops and will patrol more fairly. However, Hall says that's nonsense.
“Rural areas don’t have buses. They don’t have an easy way to ride bikes the distances they have to drive. So, it’s really impractical,” she explained. “That’s why having something come down from the Fed down to the state level is just not good for Texas. It’s not the right fit.”
Currently, Texas is one of eight states that have laws specifically prohibiting speed cameras. However, Hall says keeping it that way is a constant battle in the state legislature.