A west Valley lawmaker wants to eliminate the few remaining speed cameras on state highways.
Only one such camera remains in the Valley: at the intersection of Grand Avenue and North Primrose Street in El Mirage.
"I have heard overwhelmingly from my constituents that they do not want that photo radar camera on a state highway," said Arizona Senator Debbie Lesko, the Peoria Republican who sponsored a bill that would ban the speed cameras on state highways.
The only other such cameras in the state are in Star Valley, near Payson. El Mirage and Star Valley need permits from the Arizona Department of Transportation to operate their cameras.
Towns and cities would remain free to operate speed cameras on local streets, though a separate bill would trigger a ballot measure putting the future of traffic cameras to a statewide vote.
El Mirage leadership maintains that the speed camera is a public safety tool, and it frees the city's police officers to work cases instead of catching speeding drivers.
A hearing on Lesko's bill is set for Tuesday.
