http://www.vvdailypress.com/opinion/cameras-18347-city-good.html

A not-so-fond farewell to the red light cameras

Steve Williams

As Daily Press cartoonist Lisa notes today, there is good reason to believe some of the cameras installed at various intersections around the city are being removed due to, um, financial considerations. The city is, as we’re all aware, trying to match outgo to inflow regarding revenues, and shutting down six of the city’s red-light cameras will save the city about $100,000 a year.

Those who pay attention to such things — or are forced to because they’re among local residents caught by the cameras for running red lights — know the fine for doing so is $446, in our view an astronomical and unjustified sum that reflects government attitudes across the state. The same traffic violation in Colorado would bring a fine to the violator of ... $100.

As you may also recall, the principle argument used by a couple of members of the Victorville City Council to have the red-light camera system installed was that safety, not money, was the real bottom line. One of those council members, you may also remember, was defeated in the next council election. Was it because of his stand on the cameras that brought defeat? Perhaps not, yet we’re convinced it was a contributing factor. As we said, the bottom line was supposed to be safety, but money apparently speaks more loudly than such considerations.

It should be noted in this context that more than a few studies of the use of such a policing system at traffic lights reveals that, inevitably, rear-end collisions at those intersections increase markedly because people, fearful of the fines involved, slam on their brakes when they feel they won’t clear the intersection in time, thus causing those rear-enders because the following motorists are caught unawares by the screeching halt.
Our own view was, and is, that such cameras are just one more example of intrusive government. Not as intrusive, say, as the 16,000 Internal Revenue Agents expected to be hired to monitor citizens regarding their possession of health insurance, but intrusive nonetheless. Anything that reduces such intrusion is a good thing.
So good riddance to the cameras ... for whatever reason. Our only regret is that removal won’t take place until June.


 

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