Camera will be watching
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
3/7/2010

Drivers may want to brush up on the rules of the road and think twice before zooming through that yellow light on some of the township’s roadways. Council members passed an ordinance last week for the installation of a traffic control signal system at a busy intersection.

The traffic control signal monitoring system will be installed at the intersection of Route 70 and Springdale Road. The Legislature has determined that these systems can serve as an effective tool in encouraging drivers to observe and obey traffic control devices at intersections, according to township representatives. They can also improve traffic flow along high density areas such as this intersection.

The system would have the ability to take a picture of a motorist who commits a traffic violation in the intersection, such as running a red light. The pictures would be reviewed by the Cherry Hill Police Department to see if a summons needs to be issued. The tickets issued would be $85 each.

Mayor Bernie Platt commended the council’s decision for the installation.

“The cameras coming to Route 70 and Springdale Road later this year present a total win-win situation for the township and the thousands of commuters who travel through Cherry Hill every day,” he said. “First and foremost, the cameras provide us with an opportunity to make this heavily-traveled intersection safer by discouraging motorists from running red lights and subsequently penalizing the offenders.”

The cameras, he said, are a proven deterrent to motorists who run red lights. The fines accrued from the camera will generate some money for the township, Platt said, but also pay for the operation and instillation of the system.

Additionally, Platt said increasing the safety of the intersection far outweighs any possible complaints about privacy violations.

“While there are some who believe the cameras will invade drivers’ privacy, I believe the expectation of privacy goes out the window when you run a red light, break the law and endanger countless unsuspecting drivers affected by your decision,” he said. “These cameras are a proven deterrent to running red lights, and while this pilot program may not completely eliminate traffic accidents, it is an important step in making our streets and crosswalks safer for both pedestrians and drivers.”

In other township news:

Council President David Fleisher presented a proclamation to the local Starbucks on Haddonfield Road for providing hundreds of cold and wet mourners with free coffee and hot drinks while they waited to pay their last respects to Jeremy Kane, who was killed in action while stationed in Afghanistan in late January.

The lance corporal was shipped out to Afghanistan with his Marine unit this past October, said his mother Melinda Kane. He was killed in action when a suicide bomber attacked his unit.

The funeral for the soldier was held on a rainy, wet, cold day, Fleisher said. Mourners waited outside in the weather to pay their last respects to the soldier, he said.

Somebody placed a call to the Starbucks, and only a few minutes’ later employees were handing out free coffee and hot drinks to people waiting in line.

Damara Burke, store manager, accepted the proclamation and thanked council for its* generosity. It was an easy decision to make, she said, to donate the coffee to the cold mourners.

“We like to support our community. We wouldn’t be here without the community and their support for us,” she said.