Over the past decade, around 14 workers have been killed every year in Michigan road construction zones, something Jonathan Byrd knows too well.
He represents the Michigan Laborers’ District Council, a network of more than 13,000 skilled union construction workers. Two years ago, one of his local union brothers – Reason Tillman-Morgan – was killed when a semitruck hit the crane he was operating on I-94.
“This tragedy could have been avoided with better safety precautions, had they been in place,” Byrd told state lawmakers Tuesday.
The frequency of these deaths is why he supports two bills that would allow Michigan State Police and the Department of Transportation to implement automated speeding cameras in work zones, a step up from the current enforcement of troopers nabbing speeders from the roadside.
Under House Bills 4132 and 4133, drivers would be ticketed when caught going 10 miles over the speed limit while workers are near the roadway and not protected by a guardrail or barrier.
When drivers enter a work zone, a sign would warn them that it’s monitored by these cameras that take photos of license plates and mail citations to the person associated with the vehicle’s registration.
“It’s not really a big brother thing. It’s a safety thing,” said Rep. Mike Mueller, R-Linden.
He and cosponsoring Rep. Will Snyder, D-Muskegon, testified to the House Regulatory Reform committee on Tuesday as lawmakers signaled bipartisan support.
Seventeen states, including Illinois, Maryland and Pennsylvania, already allow speed camera enforcement in work zones. In Maryland, Snyder said, speeding violations dropped 80% and fatalities dropped by half in the first three years of cameras.
Speed enforcement through automated cameras in highway work zones begins in Pa.
FILE: Pennsylvania is one of 17 states that use automated speed enforcement cameras in work zones.Commonwealth Media Services: Natalie Kolb
A first offense under the Michigan bills would send the car owner a written warning. A second offense within three years would carry a maximum $150 fine. A third violation within the next three years would carry a maximum $300 fine.
Proceeds from fines would go into a worker safety fund managed by MDOT.
License plate images could also be used in court as evidence. Car owners could appeal by signing an affidavit or testifying in court that they were not operating the vehicle, or by presenting a police report saying the vehicle was stolen before the speeding infraction.
Speeding cameras, Snyder told MLive, can increase enforcement at work zones while requiring fewer cops.
“That’s a lot of manpower and a lot of hours, where sometimes we don’t have that,” he said. “So, I think this is a reasonable approach to ensure that safety is followed on the highway.”
Nearly identical legislation passed committee last year with bipartisan support, but Snyder said time ran in the quick end to the legislative session. He expects this year’s bills to pass committee after lawmakers return from spring break in April.
The speeding camera program will cost $985,000 annually and require six full-time positions, according to the House Fiscal Agency’s analysis.
MDOT spokesperson Jeff Cranson told MLive that “engineers have been engaged with the bills’ sponsors and advocates for some time, including assisting with some demonstrations of the technology on Michigan freeways in 2022.”
State police is the lead agency on the bills, but spokesperson Lori Dougovito told MLive MSP is still reviewing them and has no position currently.
The Laborers union’s position, however, is clear.
“Every member of our union,” Byrd said, “should have the confidence that when they go to work in the morning they will be able to return home safely at night to their families.”
This article originally appeared in MLive. For more, click here.