Submitted by Janet Lockton
Greenwich has been snookered. We have been fooled into believing that the speed camera rollout was to protect our most vulnerable residents, students walking to and from school.
Eighty percent of all the school sites with speed cameras have no walking students and only one has ever had a child hurt in a school. zone. Nine schools with very active walking populations have no cameras.
Why the disconnect? Blue Line Solutions, contracted to install the cameras, is owned, and controlled by RAF Equity. RAF buys companies that create predictable revenue growth. Placing cameras on streets with a high volume of traffic guarantees success. Greenwich residents, commuters and local service companies are paying a toll to live and work in certain areas of Greenwich.
Blue Line’s contract with Greenwich is most likely illegal under Connecticut law. The contract terms, unlike what the law requires which is a flat fee every month, gives Blue Line the incentive for violation creep. So far Greenwich residents have sent over $1.4 million to Blue Line. The company gets paid $20 for every citation issued (paid or not) plus $3.50 service fee.
To make matters worse Blue Line “owns” the money until they decide to send some back to Greenwich. They keep all interest accrued in their bank and take what they want out of the pot
to pay for set-up costs and maintenance. Blue Line then sends fine revenue to RAF. Neither company holds the funds in a Qualified Public Depository as required by state law, CGS 7-402.
The CEO of Blue Line said at the May Speed Camera Public Hearing, “Integrity is at the highest forefront of the company. And I promise you, as sure as God is my witness, a hedge fund does not own my company. I own the company.”
The RTM is voting in June to accept the Greenwich Speed Camera plan. We all want our children to be safe, but we do not want our Town to be the honey pot for an out of state Equity Fund.