Massachusetts
Should cameras catch drivers speeding in Mass. as Healey proposes?
Massachusetts has become notorious for bad driving – a behavior that proponents of speed cameras say leads to hundreds of fatalities every year.
Gov. Maura Healey is one of those supporters who is trying to get the Legislature to pass her proposal that’s attached to her next spending budget.
The proposal would allow speed cameras only and not cameras that catch people running red lights.
“I think for us, it’s a quality of life issue,” Healey told a crowd during the Massachusetts Municipal Association Connect 351 conference in Boston Friday morning.
The measure would leave it up to cities and towns in Massachusetts to decide if they want to install the street cameras.
“Many communities have put forward a home rule petition on speeding enforcement, and we can’t have a cop on every corner,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll at the same event. “We know we can use technology. This isn’t about revenue, it’s about keeping roads safe, impacting the quality of neighborhoods.”
According to state data, Massachusetts recorded more than 130,000 crashes last year, with a year-average of 380 fatalities over the past decade.
“Speeding is probably the biggest risk factor in terms of whether somebody survives or dies in a crash,” said StreetsBlog Mass Editor Christian Milneil.
Milneil has been keeping track of similar proposals for years. About half of all U.S. states have cities that have implemented traffic enforcement cameras.
He said the bill addresses privacy concerns, as well, limiting how long the images can be kept, and limiting what they can be used for outside of traffic enforcement.
“They initially catch a lot of people breaking the law, but over time, they’re very effective, and they actually don’t issue that many fines, because people know that they need to obey the speed limit, which isn’t really the case right now,” he added.
“Boston and Cambridge have been on the record in supporting this type of technology,” noted Massachusetts Municipal Association CEO Adam Champdelaine. “It gives the local government official, the police chief, the mayor, the manager, the ability to make a decision about what they think is best to keep their streets safe.”
“It doesn’t seem like a lot of speeding tickets are being given out, and people are driving faster than ever,” complained Boston resident Noah Sachs.
“We really don’t like them at all. We just think it’s not, good like it’s sort of invading your privacy,” said California resident Laurie Romero, who was visiting Boston on Friday.
Milneil said the cameras would issue a warning for a first speeding, then a $25 fine for every violation after the first.
The Legislature has until the end of June to vote on the governor’s budget, which the camera measure is tied to. If passed, it would still take about a year before municipalities can implement the technology.
“During winter, thick ice and heavy snow cover can result in low dissolved oxygen levels in ponds. With increasing
IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.
-
Now Playing
Several nurses in one unit diagnosed with brain tumors at Massachusetts hospital
01:28
-
UP NEXT
California migrant farm workers on high alert due to rise in deportations
04:44
-
Wife of man mistakenly deported to El Salvador speaks out
03:22
-
Communities across the country feel impacts of tariffs
03:53
-
Americans anxious as Trump tariffs shake markets, but experts urge caution
03:30
-
South and Midwest brace for more historic rains, flooding
01:42
-
Judge rules man mistakenly deported to El Salvador must be returned
01:23
-
Trump extends deadline on TikTok ban
02:58
-
NYPD arrests man for threatening to bomb ‘Saturday Night Live’ studio
02:20
-
Rubio defends Trump tariffs, says Putin needs to show he ‘wants peace’
01:46
-
US market plunges for second day after Trump’s sweeping tariffs
06:18
-
South and Midwest brace for more historic rain, severe flooding
02:55
-
Colorado rescue team saves dog who fell over a cliff
01:17
-
What American consumers should buy before prices go up as a result of tariffs
03:23
-
Nevada ‘tiger king’ arrested after seven animals were seized from his home
02:46
-
Chinese manufacturers warn of price hikes after tariffs
02:34
-
Tornado survivor rides out storm in bathtub as house was ‘ripping apart’
04:00
-
Stock market plunges after Trump tariff announcement
06:27
-
Former California police officer awarded $10m in harassment suit
01:58
-
Viral pop-up choir connects people across the U.S.
02:21
NBC News Channel
-
Now Playing
Several nurses in one unit diagnosed with brain tumors at Massachusetts hospital
01:28
-
UP NEXT
California migrant farm workers on high alert due to rise in deportations
04:44
-
Wife of man mistakenly deported to El Salvador speaks out
03:22
-
Communities across the country feel impacts of tariffs
03:53
-
Americans anxious as Trump tariffs shake markets, but experts urge caution
03:30
-
South and Midwest brace for more historic rains, flooding
01:42
NBC News Channel
NBC News NOW
NBC News NOW
Play All
Massachusetts’ congressional delegation said the Trump administration’s decision to “clawback” $106 million in COVID-19-era funding for K-12 schools is “harmful and incredibly frustrating to students, families, educators, and school district leaders.”
In a letter sent Thursday to the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the state’s entire Congressional delegation and Gov. Maura Healey said they were “alarmed at this abrupt termination” of congressionally authorized and appropriated funding for education in the state.
Springfield is set to lose out on the most cash — more than $47 million — while Boston is losing $3.4 million, according to the Healey administration. The elected officials said the “about-face” on the continued availability of the money was an “insult.”
“Massachusetts gives students the best education in the country. We urge you to reverse course and allow leaders in the Commonwealth to deliver for students and communities without continued chaos and disruption,” the group said in the letter.
The Healey administration said it was notified last week that it was losing access to money set to flow to Massachusetts through a pandemic-era fund that the governor claimed the state had until March 2026 to utilize.
Healey previously said the money was going to be used to stand up mental health care and math tutoring for students, as well as increasing school security and installing systems to clean the air in school buildings.
In a statement earlier this week, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education said the COVID-19 pandemic is over and states and school districts “can no longer claim they are spending their emergency pandemic funds on ‘COVID relief’ when there are numerous documented examples of misuse.”
“The Biden administration established an irresponsible precedent by extending the deadline for spending the COVID money far beyond the intended purpose of the funds, and it is past time for the money to be returned to the people’s bank account,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the agency would consider extensions on an individual, project-specific basis “where it can be demonstrated that funds are being used to directly mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on student learning.”
Healey and the Congressional delegation said the reversal on the cash affects 41 states and over $2 billion in funding.
The state’s congressional delegation said school districts and individual schools built their budgets based on the understanding they would have the money from the federal government.
“For example, the New Bedford school district allocated funds for a school-based health center. Some school districts were anticipating using the funding for mental health supports, security, air quality improvement, and math tutoring,” the lawmakers said in the letter.
The lawmakers said the withdrawal of the money “will force schools back to the drawing board, requiring them to fight these cuts, rework their budgets, and scale back or eliminate projects intended to help students, educators, and communities.”
Healey previously said Trump “suddenly ripped away more than $100 million in funding that is supposed to go right to Massachusetts students and schools.”
“At a time when students are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, we need to be doing everything we can to address learning loss and the youth mental health crisis,” she said in a statement earlier this week.
Originally Published:
Massachusetts wildlife officials ask residents to report fish kills
One driver injured in two-car collision in Clara City, Minnesota
Mississippi mortician allegedly stashed bodies inside storage unit after losing license, business: Officials
Driver dies after striking tree late Friday night in Kansas City, Missouri
Montana FFA Announces 2025-26 State Officer Team
-
News1 week agoTrump Is Trying to Gain More Power Over Elections. Is His Effort Legal?
-
News1 week agoLeShon Johnson, Ex-N.F.L. Running Back, Ran Major Dogfighting Kennel, U.S. Says
-
Sports1 week agoStraight Outta L.A.: Ice Cube's new BIG3 team is the Riot and 'here to shake things up'
-
Politics1 week agoTexas DOGE bill passes Senate to streamline state regulations
-
News1 week agoFederal judge who drew Trump's anger picks up new case against administration
-
Technology1 week agoSome Kindles now let you double-tap anywhere to turn the page
-
World1 week agoUS Army says vehicle of four missing soldiers found in Lithuania
-
Lifestyle1 week agoTiny Love Stories: ‘I Asked Him Back to My Place’