Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a measure allowing Michigan transportation to install “an automated speed enforcement system” in work zones to penalize motorists who break the law.

House Bill 4132 would allow the Michigan Department of Transportation to create an “automated speed enforcement system unit.” The agency would be empowered to set the criteria for prioritizing a work zone, such as a freeway, for installing such a system.

Critics of the cameras say the cameras may provide a false sense of security for employees in work zones, and potential mission creep in the use of cameras for purposes other than monitoring drivers in traffic construction areas.

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“Whether you’re driving on them or working on them, we’re focused on fixing the damn roads and making sure people are safe on the damn roads,” the governor said in a post to X.

Under the measure, transportation officials would need to place a sign one mile before the work zone starts, and an automated speed enforcement system would digitally display an approaching vehicle’s speed.

The House passed the bill initially last year, but it languished in the Senate until last month.

It would create a new fund in the state treasury, the Work Zone Safety Fund, and according to an analysis from the Senate Fiscal Agency, MDOT indicated “there would be a small cost associated with this program.”

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Wolverine State officials pointed out that the Illinois Department of Transportation allocates $500,000 per fiscal year to cover the costs of its version of the program.

The fiscal analysis concluded that the Michigan program would allow transportation officials to determine how much to enforce, giving them “the flexibility to adjust enforcement to fit the budget.” The bill would also allow MDOT to recoup the program’s costs from the fees it doles out to motorists.

A companion measure, House Bill 4133, would amend state law to require a civil fine issued under HB 4132 to be paid to MDOT.

“I think it would be a great thing, it would raise people’s level of concern when they are in work zones,” WXYZ Detroit quoted Dawn Morisette, whose son, Zach, was hit by a driver and killed while working along I-94 in Macomb County in 2020.

“The man that struck our son, we wouldn’t have had to endure three days of him fleeing the scene, washing the truck, hiding the truck… he would have been found right away,” Dawn Morisette added. “We have no idea what happened with our son, why he was hit, so if the cameras were in place, we would have had a lot more answers than we did.”

According to state numbers, there were more than 7,400 work zone crashes in the Great Lakes State in 2022, causing 1,928 injuries and 23 fatalities. That number increased to more than 8,000 last year, WOOD-TV reported.

Witnesses who testified before the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure revealed speeding is a common contributor to work zone crashes. Proponents of automated speed enforcement systems say they should reduce speeding and increase work zone safety.

“Fixing our [roads] is a top priority in our state,” WHMI quoted state Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden, as saying. “We must protect the workers that are on the front lines making that progress happen.”

Up North Live quoted Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transport Association, as saying the new law aims to make drivers pay better attention when driving in a construction zone.

“It’s not meant to be punitive; it’s meant to really change driver behavior,” Binoniemi said. “We think that if people are concerned about having their speed determined through a camera, people will become more alert and pay more attention, and they’ll be able to see those individuals on the other side of the orange barrels.”

How They Voted

Yays

Rep. Aiyash, Abraham [D]; Rep. Andrews, Joey [D]; Rep. Arbit, Noah [D]; Rep. Brabec, Felicia [D]; Rep. Breen, Kelly A. [D]; Rep. Brixie, Julie [D]; Rep. Byrnes, Erin [D]; Rep. Carter, Brenda [D]; Rep. Carter, Tyrone [D]; Rep. Churches, Jaime [D]; Rep. Coffia, Betsy [D]; Rep. Conlin, Jennifer [D]; Rep. Dievendorf, Emily [D]; Rep. Edwards, Kimberly L. [D]; Rep. Farhat, Alabas [D]; Rep. Filler, Graham [R]; Rep. Fitzgerald, John [D]; Rep. Glanville, Carol [D]; Rep. Grant, Kristian [D]; Rep. Haadsma, Jim [D]; Rep. Herzberg, Peter [D]; Rep. Hill, Jenn [D]; Rep. Hood, Rachel [D]; Rep. Hope, Kara [D]; Rep. Hoskins, Jason [D]; Rep. Koleszar, Matt [D]; Rep. Liberati Jr., Tullio [D]; Rep. MacDonell, Sharon [D]; Rep. Martus, Jasper Ryan [D]; Rep. McFall, Mike [D]; Rep. McKinney, Donavan [D]; Rep. Mentzer, Denise [D]; Rep. Miller, Reggie [D]; Rep. Morgan, Jason [D]; Rep. Morse, Christine [D]; Rep. Mueller, Mike [R]; Rep. Neeley, Cynthia [D]; Rep. O’Neal, Amos [D]; Rep. Paiz, Veronica [D]; Rep. Pohutsky, Laurie [D]; Rep. Price, Natalie [D]; Rep. Puri, Ranjeev [D]; Rep. Rheingans, Carrie [D]; Rep. Rogers, Julie M. [D]; Rep. Scott, Helena [D]; Rep. Shannon, Nate [D]; Rep. Skaggs, Phil [D]; Rep. Snyder, Will [D]; Rep. Steckloff, Samantha [D]; Rep. Tate, Joseph “Joe” [D]; Rep. Tsernoglou, Penelope [D]; Rep. Weiss, Regina [D]; Rep. Whitsett, Karen [D]; Rep. Wilson Jr., Jimmie [D]; Rep. Witwer, Angela [D]; Rep. Xiong, Mai [D]; Rep. Young, Stephanie A. [D]

Nays

Rep. Alexander, Gregory L. [R]; Rep. Aragona, Joseph [R]; Rep. Beeler, Andrew [R]; Rep. BeGole, Brian [R]; Rep. Beson, Timothy [R]; Rep. Bezotte, Robert J. [R]; Rep. Bierlein, Matthew D. [R]; Rep. Bollin, Ann [R]; Rep. Borton, Ken [R]; Rep. Bruck, William [R]; Rep. Carra, Steve [R]; Rep. Cavitt, Cameron “Cam” [R]; Rep. DeBoer, Nancy [R]; Rep. DeBoyer, Jay [R]; Rep. DeSana, James [R]; Rep. Fink, Andrew [R]; Rep. Fox, Joseph D. [R]; Rep. Friske, Neil W. [R]; Rep. Greene, Jaime [R]; Rep. Hall, Matthew “Matt” C. [R]; Rep. Harris, Mike R. [R]; Rep. Hoadley, Mike [R]; Rep. Johnsen, Gina [R]; Rep. Kuhn, Thomas “Tom” E. [R]; Rep. Kunse, Tom [R]; Rep. Lightner, Sarah [R]; Rep. Maddock, Matthew “Matt” [R]; Rep. Markkanen, Gregory [R]; Rep. Martin, David W. [R]; Rep. Meerman, Luke [R]; Rep. Neyer, Jerry [R]; Rep. Outman, Patrick “Pat” [R]; Rep. Paquette, Brad [R]; Rep. Posthumus, Bryan [R]; Rep. Prestin, David “Dave” [R]; Rep. Rigas, Angela [R]; Rep. Roth, John R. [R]; ep. Schmaltz, Kathy [R]; Rep. Schriver, Josh [R]; Rep. Schuette, Bill G. [R]; Rep. Slagh, Bradley [R]; Rep. Smit, Rachelle M. [R]; Rep. St. Germaine, Alicia [R]; Rep. Steele, Donni [R]; Rep. Thompson, Jamie [R]; Rep. Tisdel, Mark [R]; Rep. VanderWall, Curtis “Curt” [R]; Rep. VanWoerkom, Greg [R]; Rep. Wegela, Dylan [D]; Rep. Wendzel, Pauline [R]; Rep. Wozniak, Douglas C. [R]; Rep. Zorn, Dale W. [R]