x
Breaking News
More () »

Cantrell says traffic camera changes not 'about a dollar, it was about people'

'That was the decision that I made and I stand by it 100 percent'

NEW ORLEANS —

The traffic cameras in the school zones have been a controversial issue in New Orleans for several weeks now. This week, Mayor Cantrell is opening up about it. 

"The school zone piece, absolutely not about a dollar. But it was about people,” Mayor Latoya Cantrell said.

In a thirty minute Facebook live chat with the Director of Transportation, Cantrell addressed residents concerns, discussing her transportation vision for the city. 

RELATED: New Orleans quietly changed ticket speed for school zone cameras

She addressed littering and party buses, but her main highlight in the video was about changing the speed school zone cameras activate for, taking a video for police to issue a ticket.

“This is holistic,” Cantrell said. “It wasn't off the fly. It is not a money grab! This is about our children and if people slow down and go the speed limit, then guess what, it can't be a money grab! But the data showed us, in our city, that we have more people not abiding by the 20 mph limit throughout the city of New Orleans, which makes it a behavioral problem that we have to reign in. That was the decision that I made and I stand by it 100 percent."  \

The city’s traffic cameras, largely found near school zones, have a cushion for a few miles over the speed limit before they take a photo of the car and send a ticket to the driver. In February, the city cut that cushion down without announcing the change to the public. 

RELATED: DuBos: Don't change the rules without telling anyone

"I hate to have to push back on it, but I looked at it from the drivers' perspective, but I'm also looking at it from a parent's perspective...and these are our children! I'm not just a Mayor. I'm a mother too,” Cantrell said. 

"I've gotten those tickets in the mail. And it's just always been a surprise,” New Orleans resident Dana Walker said. 

Walker and her friend say they understand where Mayor Cantrell is coming from, but felt the way it all happened was not transparent. 

"I think that's an admirable message to have and obviously anyone would say that it's good to keep kids safe, but I think that people have a right to know if there's a certain limit that they can drive because if they don't know then they might be driving and you won't even know that you're doing something wrong,” Walker said. 

RELATED: Cantrell says she never got 'benefit of the doubt' from New Orleans media

"Notify! You know! Put a letter up! You know ... send it out in the mail! Put it on the newspapers! I mean, technology is being used for everything these days! Use the technology to get the message out,” one resident said. 

A public records request by Eyewitness News shows traffic tickets in February almost doubled the ones in January, and that number was higher than any month in 2018. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out