Initially it seemed like a good idea to me. The presentation to Mukilteo City Council by ATS seemed to address all the concerns, so the council voted to move forward with the red light camera study at signalized intersections in Mukilteo.

Heck, even my wife and Mayor Joe Marine seemed to agree that the SR-525-Harbour Pointe Boulevard SW intersection by the Arco gas station was a problem with violators routinely blowing through red lights.

However, when the data came back, not only did it show the intersections everyone thought were bad really weren’t, but the intersections that did qualify for red light cameras only qualified because of fast right hand turns and not a single actual red light violation.

Although the single 16-hour study would probably not be considered adequate if the city had to foot the bill, ATS pays the majority of the cost and the city receives revenue only after a monthly threshold is met so the city’s risk from a strictly financial standpoint is almost nothing.

I had always been receptive to the arguments both pro and con regarding red light ticketing cameras but quickly became against them after sitting through some hearings in Olympia and learning more about how the infraction process really works compared to what we were initially told (or not told) in the ATS sales presentation.

In addition, I’ve become leery of the red light camera situation in Lynnwood where the light timing sequence at intersections often doesn’t seem optimized for the traffic passing through them.

When the vote was taken at the May 17 council meeting, I was on my way back from our son’s graduation from Occidental College in Southern California. The vote was a 3 to 3 tie with the Mayor breaking the tie to move forward with one red light camera and one speed zone camera in Mukilteo.

Upon returning and reading the council packet as well as watching the video of the meeting (now available on-line), I learned some things I found quite alarming and so requested the opportunity for a motion for reconsideration at the next regular council meeting as defined in our council rules.

In addition to the recommendation for a red light ticket camera at the SR-525/Harbour Point Blvd. intersection (by Walgreens), was a recommendation to install a speed zone camera in front of Olympic View Middle School based on a study done by Mukilteo Police. Although I’m confident the police department study is valid, I believe using it to sell the single solution of speed cameras was a mistake.

While on the surface it seems like an easy way to make the area safer, the recommendation prevented the council transportation committee and the council from being able to consider alternative and more effective solutions to the problem. And, there was no clarification whether a motorist doing 21 mph in a 20 mph school zone would receive a ticket in excess of $100, which has happened in other jurisdictions.

Do we really want this in Mukilteo?

I had previously commented that we might want to consider radar speed signs at OV for what was at the time a perceived problem (my experience was it was a problem but didn’t have any data to support that perception). 

In fact, I recently drove through the small town of Concrete and observed that in the school zone on Hwy 20 mounted on the same type of mast we have in Mukilteo with the 20 mph sign and flashing light was a radar speed sign.  

While there are some good arguments for red light cameras, I think most people now believe safety isn’t one of them. Probably the strongest pro argument in my mind is the revenue generation, which could be used towards public safety projects. For some reason, using the revenue for public safety wasn’t emphasized in the Mukilteo proposal.

Besides the procedural issues I have with the way this decision was made, more important is that we failed to consider how the overwhelming majority of Mukilteo residents feel.

I fully support Mukilteo Initiative 2 which puts this decision and future decisions like it in the hands of our voters. It shouldn’t have been necessary but I believe when the city makes a decision that hasn’t adequately considered the depth of the issue at hand, we need to be able accept the fact that our form of government allows our citizens to step in and fix it.

By the time you read this, I’m hopeful the council will have readdressed and reversed this decision. It’s important that our residents have confidence in the decisions the council makes because despite the mistakes we have made in the past, there are some very important issues coming up where we need the support of our residents. It’s on us to earn that support.

Kevin Stoltz

Mukilteo City Councilmember

The preceding feature is published the second Wednesday of each month for The Beacon and is the opinion of Kevin Stoltz and may or may not represent the views of the Mukilteo City Council.