The city of Bainbridge Island has determined, following a proof of concept which ran from late-May to late-September, that installing cameras at the intersection of Highway 305 and Winslow Way wasn’t effective in evaluating linecutters going to the ferry terminal.

“While this approach does not appear viable at this time, it may be in the future. We will continue to follow this technology. We will continue to advocate for traffic control provided by the state and for physical changes to reduce the opportunity for lane changes and line cutting,” city communications manager Shannon Hays said.

Citations must be issued by law enforcement, per state law. “After a summer of collecting data, the BI Police Department concluded that photo enforcement was not reliable enough to use for issuing citations,” per an Oct. 24 city news release.

COBI determined human traffic control measures are the best interim deterrent to line cutting, altercation and accidents.

“The state of Washington contracts with a private firm that uses off-duty police officers to provide traffic control at ferry terminals throughout the state during peak times. Previously, the state invested approximately $900,000 for law enforcement presence at terminals,” per a city news release.

State highways and the state ferry system are the responsibility of the state, Hays said.

“The city has consistently requested staffing from Washington State Ferries to manage traffic related to their facilities. The city doesn’t have the resources to assume this responsibility,” Hays said.

Hays said the city doesn’t retain images collected during the proof of concept period per state law, adding, “The city is evaluating the use of traffic safety cameras for speed enforcement in school zones and other approved locations,” she said.

In December, the BI City Council will review a presentation on automated traffic safety cameras.