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The city of Minneapolis, aided and abetted by the state Legislature, is trying to disprove Albert Einstein's adage that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."
In this case the thing in question is an effort to revive an ill-advised arrangement to use cameras as Minneapolis traffic cops. It ought to raise all kind of alarm bells for drivers, minority residents and city officials alike.
"Using cameras to catch Mpls. speeders" (editorial, Nov. 29) noted some but not all of the flaws in that program in calling for the Legislature to come up with a better plan.
The reincarnated proposal would authorize the state's largest city to implement a pilot program to use an array of strategically placed cameras to spot drivers exceeding the speed limit. It's one of dozens of programs and actions rightly aimed at deterring and catching those drivers at minimal economic outlay in order to combat the city's rising traffic fatalities — a trend accentuated by the declining number of police, which has essentially brought traffic enforcement in the city to a halt.
The proposal comes on the heels of a pair of unsuccessful efforts to enact enabling legislation last year. With newly composed legislative bodies and DFL majorities in both chambers, legislators have high hopes for passage in 2023.
The goal of proponents is that the camera "cops," along with some 86 other initiatives, would curb the growing number of traffic fatalities in the city, which reached 23 last year, the highest since 2007. Indeed, the aspiration is that traffic-related death and injuries can be eliminated in five years. Good luck with that.
