350 additional speed cameras to go up on Valley streets

The weekly trips Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has been making to Washington D.C have finally paid off, but not for drivers in the Valley of the Sun.

Gordon, who is in the nation's capital this week, received word late Tuesday that the federal government had allocated $275 million in stimulus money for the purchase of 350 speed cameras to be put up in the Phoenix area. The funds are a major victory for the mayor who has built what he called the Phoenix Stimulus Strike Team.

The group's effort to bring national dollars to Arizona has been well known, but the mayor's plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on speed cameras was not.

Phoenix Councilman Claude Mattox told KTAR that adding more speed cameras has been in the works for months but the stimulus money will help to expedite it and dramatically increase the number of cameras.

"This is going to put people to work by installing those cameras," Mattox said. "We're talking about putting this on local streets and major arterials addressing the speeding problem that's happening within the city of Phoenix."

The plan would put speed enforcement cameras on residential streets for the first time in Arizona history.

Mattox, the chairman of the city's subcommittee on public safety, said there is no estimate on how much money the speed cameras will generate or where the dollars will be used.

"This is an investment for Arizona's future," Mattox told KTAR. "Everything is on the table including using money to fund the Phoenix Fourth Of July fireworks show."

The camera plan drew sharp criticism from Arizona Congressman John Shadegg.

"In my years in Washington I have seen things I thought were pretty stupid." Shadegg told KTAR. "I got to tell you, I think this is the stupidest I've ever seen. I just think it's a waste of taxpayer's money."

The $275 million for speed cameras is on top of the federal stimulus money the mayor has already landed for road projects and light rail construction.

Phoenix city officials said construction on the cameras will begin immediately. Crews working on expanding valley freeways will be temporarily diverted to wire and install the new cameras. The first ones will go on line next week.

Anyone who wants more information about the plan is encouraged to call the photo radar stimulus information hotline at (602) 200-2788.