PLEASE DO NOT DONATE - JUST VOTE!

The Town of Greenwich, CT recently installed automated speed cameras near and around our school zones. These surveillance devices—now active at North Street School, Eagle Hill School, Brunswick Lower School, Greenwich Academy, Central Middle School (both locations), Glenville School, Greenwich High School (Hillside Road & East Putnam Avenue), and Parkway School— aim to reduce speeding near schools, but they fall short in delivering comprehensive safety.

Key Concerns:

• Limited Effectiveness: The Selectmen and Police Chief and other proponents claim these cameras enhance road safety by reducing speeding. However, evidence on their overall effectiveness is mixed at best. Many traffic fatalities stem from factors these devices do not address, such as distracted driving, impaired driving, drowsy driving, or poor road design and maintenance—not merely speed. While some studies suggest localized reductions in speeding, they fail to prove broad, sustained improvements in overall safety or crash rates when other dangerous behaviors persist.
• Lack of Transparency and Due Process: There is no transparency on data storage or data storage duration, who has access to captured images, or how appeals are fairly handled. Automated tickets deny real due process—no officer judgment, no immediate defense. Unlike interactions with human police officers—who exercise judgment and allow for immediate defense—automated tickets offer no real opportunity for contesting errors or context, undermining due process.
• Privacy Intrusion: Cameras capture images of vehicles, license plates, and potentially drivers/passengers without consent, creating unnecessary surveillance on public roads.

Safety for our children and other pedestrians is essential, but these cameras aren't the only—or best—solution. Proven alternatives deliver real results while respecting residents:

• Increased visible police patrols in school zones
• Road redesigns (better signage, speed humps, pedestrian improvements)
• Expanded education campaigns on safe driving
• Targeted efforts against distracted/impaired driving

This petition demands that the Board of Selectman, as the traffic authority of the Town of Greenwich:

• Halt all new citations from automated speed cameras.
• Phase out and remove all existing installations.
• Redirect resources to effective, community-supported safety measures.

Greenwich deserves safer roads through smart, fair enforcement—not reliance on automated systems that raise more questions than answers. Sign if you want better protection for kids and pedestrians without unnecessary fines or surveillance!