The PA Senate Transportation Committee is trying to pull a fast one on you. SB 459 was introduced with many anti-driving components, then a committee vote was scheduled less than two days later. No time for the public to process it. The memo with the bill does not mention all of the things the bill does, or clarify vague points.
The bill contains the following items, which are expansions to current law: allows municipal police and an obscure agency to use radar and LIDAR for speed enforcement, state police moving radar, speed cameras(unclear if unlimited use allowed or just can be used for current purposes), weakens calibration requirement for accuracy, creates temporary regulations, may allow ticket quotas for “safety” programs that are part of grants and other things, confusing and vague terms used, potential inconsistencies, and does a rewrite of the law on speed enforcement. Even a skilled person would have trouble sorting this out.
The bill does NOT require proper engineering. No requirements for unbiased traffic studies, no requirement to post speed limits at the 85th percentile, and no requirement for periodic traffic studies. The state is supposed to use 85th percentile speed limits, but that seems rare.
The committee will merely rubber stamp the bill, so please contact your state senator, state representative, and Governor Shapiro. Say you are OPPOSED to SB 459 on municipal radar, and the other anti-driving items, that were slid into the bill. Also add you are opposed to all forms of automated traffic enforcement and want them repealed. The committee will pass the bill of course, so you need to act immediately to keep it from advancing.
Also, a longtime member runs a PA driving news email group. One to three weekly messages is typical. Dues-paying members of the NMA are welcome to join. Please email the NMA and say you want to join the list. The NMA will forward your info to the member who runs it.
Thanks for supporting the National Motorists Association and rational driving policy in Pennsylvania.