Interesting article by Scott Thill over at AlterNet.org who interviewed Gary Biller, executive director of the National Motorists Association.  Apparently several cities who have placed red-light cameras designed by companies like Redflex Group and American Traffic Solutions are “tinkering” with the duration of the signals’ yellow light to increase revenue.  Biller states that an increase of just one second can reduce the frequency of red-light-running by at least 50 percent.

A critical issue is who controls the duration of the yellow light.  According to the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the duration should be between three and six seconds.  The American Automobile Association holds the position that engineers should set the yellow light interval based upon safety concerns - not as a means to increase revenue for the municipality and the red-light camera operator.

Full article here.

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We are watching.

The New York State legislature plans to approve the installation of up to 50 red light cameras at intersections in Rochester, NY  The Democrat & Chronicle published a story today on this matter: 

“Critics question whether the cameras are a solution looking for a problem, as the city thus far has not produced accident or enforcement data related to people running red lights. And while Mayor Robert Duffy says the motivation for putting up cameras is public safety, some question if the true benefit is the fines that violators will pay.

“When we start to use law enforcement as a way to generate revenue, I think that is troubling,” said Gary Pudup, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, Genesee Valley Chapter. “This is not a case where the city is saying we have had these horrible accidents, and we are trying to do something about it. What they are doing is they are trying to close revenue gaps by fining citizens.”

Mayor Duffy stated that these cameras may bring in up to 3.5 million dollars annually to the city.  Each violation will result in a $50.00 fine to the owner of the vehicle - regardless of who is actually driving.  A City municipal attorney stated these citations would not count against the person’s driving record or insurance.

Contrast this plan against what happens if a driver is issued a ticket for the same offense under the NY Vehicle and Traffic law:  fine, mandatory surcharge of $85.00, and three points assessed on your NY DMV driver abstract.

Albany Lawyer writes a post indicating that red light cameras actually increase accidents, citing several studies on the issue here.  Good food for thought - are our politicians looking out for our safety, or is this just a revenue grab?

Interesting post by the Buffalo Pundit blog on the issue of installing Red Light cameras at key intersections in the Buffalo, NY area.  Researchers at the University of South Florida College of Public Health found that these cameras are a safety risk for drivers. A local radio station is organizing a protest today.