Ease up on the accelerator, Iowans. Newton, Grinnell to add speed cameras along I-80.

Ease up on the accelerator in these areas while traveling Iowa interstates.

Newton approved plans for an automated traffic enforcement system on Interstate 80 in February, becoming the latest Iowa city to turn to cameras to issue violations to speedy drivers.

The traffic enforcement system is expected to begin in late spring, according to a news release from the vendor implementing the system, Sensys Gato USA, Inc.

Why did Newton add speed cameras?

The purpose of implementing a traffic enforcement system is to reduce speeding, crashes and public safety responses on the I-80, Mayor Evelyn George said in a statement provided to the Des Moines Register. Newton Police and Fire Department respond to an “average of 210 incidents and traffic crashes on the I-80 between the 159-mile marker and 171-mile marker” every year, according to city documents.

This can also pose a danger for first responders.

There have been incidents on I-80 that caused Newton Police and Fire Department vehicle and equipment damage and first responders who were “nearly struck” by passing motorists, according to city documents. Having cameras to enforce traffic violations also means law enforcement do not have to be tasked with this work, and in turn can focus resources elsewhere, according to city documents.

Where will speed cameras in Newton be located?

The cameras will be installed along I-80 between exits 164 and 168, Danielle Rogers, Newton's community marketing manager said in an email.

How much will a ticket cost?

In the first 30 days, the program will only issue warnings to violators, Rogers said in an email. Newton will work with Sensys Gato USA, Inc. for the automated traffic enforcement system, the same company that has traffic enforcement system contracts with Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Grinnell, LeClaire and more, according to city documents. An ordinance must be drafted before the program begins, which will spell out the cost of tickets and any threshold before citations are issued.

Grinnell also plans to add I-80 speed cameras

Two speed cameras will also join another portion of the I-80 around May or June, said Grinnell Chief of Police Michael McClelland. These cameras will be installed on the I-80 near Iowa Highway 146, he said.

Like Newton, there will be a 30-day warning grace period before violations are issued. The cost of speeding tickets triggered by the cameras, and how fast someone needs to go to trigger a violation, is still being determined, McClelland said.

Where are the other locations of speed cameras on Iowa's interstates?

Cedar Rapids uses automated traffic enforcement to enforce red-light running violations and speed limit violations, according to the city. There are four locations on the I-380 that Cedar Rapids enforces speed violations. Those include:

• I-380 northbound at Diagonal Drive S.W.

• I-380 northbound at J Avenue N.E.

• I-380 southbound at J Avenue N.E.

• I-380 southbound at First Avenue S.W.

Another eastern Iowa city has also adopted speed cameras at two locations in the spring of 2021. LeClaire implemented cameras that are located on the I-80 bridge and on U.S. Highway 67 near Green Gables Marina, according to WQAD.

Des Moines has a speed camera on Interstate 235 monitoring eastbound traffic at 56th Street and Polk Boulevard. It has additional fixed speed and red light cameras in the city and a mobile speed unit.

More: New Marshalltown speed cameras hand out thousands of warnings in first month

Davenport, Marshalltown, Muscatine and Prairie City also have speed cameras that monitor state or federal highways.

Dubuque announced plans in November to add cameras, KWWL reported, but it has not determined locations or a vendor yet.

Will speed cameras be banned in Iowa?

Traffic enforcement cameras would be banned under a proposed bill that also bars Iowans from using their electronic devices while driving.

This isn’t the first time that traffic enforcement cameras faced threats from the law. Lawmakers have proposed various bans or restrictions for several years, but none have become law. The state Department of Transportation also tried to implement rules limiting their use on highways and interstates.

In 2017, it was ruled that the Iowa Department of Transportation had the authority to order cities to remove automated traffic enforcement cameras from highways and interstates. A year later, the Iowa Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that the Iowa DOT “did not have the authority to regulate cameras in city limits without action from the Iowa Legislature,” the Register reported that year.

Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Newton, Grinnell join other Iowa cities with interstate speed cameras