Red Light Camera News Business owners caught off guard by red light camera
(Thanks to www.motorists.org for the link!)
Business owners caught off guard by red light camera vote
By TONY HOLT | Hernando Today
Published: October 4, 2011
Updated: 10/04/2011 05:11 pm
BROOKSVILLE - Many didn't get the word prior to Monday night's city council meeting.
Some still hadn't received word the following morning — not until a reporter told them.
Red-light cameras, an ongoing controversy in Brooksville, will soon be reactivated. The majority of the city's business owners land squarely on the opposing side of the argument.
Several rolled their eyes Tuesday when they learned council members voted 3-2 to reinstall them at major intersections across town.
"That really bums me out," said Mary Kirkconnell, owner of Peace Tree Trading at 770 E. Jefferson St.
"I'm not for it," she said of the cameras. "It's already hard enough on local retailers."
Kirkconnell said her business relies heavily on the "destination customer." People regularly travel long distances to shop at Peace Tree Trading.
She said she has customers from as far north as Tallahassee and as far south as Miami visiting her store, which sells an array of Native American-inspired artwork.
"We don't need any more negative publicity," she said. "People know not to go to Starke … because they give out so many tickets. I don't want Brooksville to have that reputation."
Margo Dillon, owner of the White Daisy, a salon and spa located next door to Kirkconnell's store, said the cameras will have a negative impact on her store.
She said she still gets a few customers per day because they drive by and see her sign. She feared a reduction in walk-in customers since the Rogers Christmas House — located across the street — closed last year. This will make matters worse, Dillon said.
She thinks more and more people will want to stay away from Brooksville.
"They're going to go where they don't have to worry about the lights," Dillon said. "This is harmful to me."
She said any suggestion that red-light cameras make streets safer is, at best, debatable. She also thinks the automated devices are inaccurate.
Cal Roberts winced when he heard the news of Monday's meeting. He said he received a ticket when the cameras were first activated last year.
He pondered the issue for a few seconds and said residents need to consider the safety issue. After he paid his ticket — and while the cameras were still active — he was more conscientious when he approached intersections.
"If you're running red lights, you should probably get a ticket," he said.
Roberts also was dismissive of the argument that fewer people would visit Brooksville because of the cameras.
Most of the traffic during the day, he said, comes from people driving to and from the nearby government center, so they don't have a choice. Regardless of the reason, he said, the end result will be a higher number of cautious drivers.
"I don't see how it's going to detract anyone from coming to Brooksville," Roberts said.
John Callea, who co-owns the Rising Sun Café and who is active with the Brooksville Business Alliance, said the decision to reinstall the cameras "doesn't smell right."
To him, money appears to be the motivator rather than safety.
"On the surface, it looks like a way for a private company to milk significant revenues off the backs of citizens while flipping a tip back to the city," he said.
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