Camera Program Aimed at Catching Speeders Ended by Hawaii Governor

Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano on Wednesday ordered the shutdown of the state’s controversial traffic camera program to catch speeders.

The governor said he took the action because of the Legislature’s intent to repeal the three-year pilot program.

Cayetano, who is on the mainland, said he intends to allow the repeal bill to become law without his signature, according to a statement released by his office.

“The traffic van cam law is the creation of the Legislature, and if they want to now cancel the program it will be canceled,” he said.

He said it is unfortunate that the pilot program is being terminated because its objective of promoting safety and controlling speeding is good.

The program was scheduled to move to other islands this summer. But since it began on Oahu in January, the program has faced harsh criticism and legal challenges as attorneys found loopholes to exploit.

Judges threw out the first batch of citations on a technicality that later was fixed, only to have lawyers successfully argue that all tickets issued for drivers going less than 10 mph over the speed limit be dismissed because it conflicts with police practice.