Could You Soon Get a Ticket From a Traffic Camera in Minnesota?
Could automated traffic cameras that catch you speeding and issue you a ticket be headed here to Minnesota?
Minnesota has never had automated enforcement systems
There are just some things that other states have that we've never had here in Minnesota. Like tolls on highways and interstates (though the Minnesota Department of Transportation apparently DID once consider such a thing a few years ago.) Or those automated traffic cameras that catch you running a red light or speeding and take a picture, allowing the state to then mail you a ticket.
We once got a bill in the mail a few years ago after we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge out in San Francisco. California took out the toll booths on that stretch of Highway-101 (to keep traffic flowing, I'm guessing) and now simply take a picture of your license plate as you drive by, and then mail you a bill that gives you a certain amount of time to pay online-- or they then mail you a ticket, too.
Could automated traffic cameras be coming to Minnesota?
So, could something similar could be headed here to the Land of 10,000 Lakes? Well, a proposal to do just that was introduced during this year's Legislative session at the capital in St. Paul earlier this year. According to the Minnesota Legislature site, the proposal would create a pilot program that would use automated enforcement systems (that'd be your traffic cameras) to crack down on those drivers who speed through construction zones.
There are a few roadblocks, though
Don't look for those cameras just yet, however. Under the proposal, any automated enforcement systems wouldn't start until 2022. And even then, they would initially only be in construction zones as part of a small pilot program (most likely in the Twin Cities metro area) before they would be rolled out statewide.
But before any of those things happen, the bill would have to be approved by both the House and Senate-- which this proposal apparently wasn't. The House version did have an initial reading, and the companion bill in the Senate had an initial reading and was then referred to the Senate Transportation and Policy Committee, but neither was apparently included in this year's transportation budget bill.
So, for now, you'll still be able to tool down your favorite Minnesota road without worrying about a traffic camera busting you if you put the pedal to the metal. And speaking of roads, have you been on Minnesota's Must-Drive Road? Keep scrolling to see where it is-- as well as the Must-Drive Roads in every other state too.