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Red Light Camera News Editorial from Las Cruces NM Time to Rethink RLC
Red Light Camera News Editorial from Las Cruces NM Time to Rethink RLC
Stephen Donaldson
Mar 30
|10:30
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_14775920
Our View: Time to rethink red-light cameras in Las Cruces
Posted: 03/28/2010 08:26:51 AM MDT
Maybe it's time for the city to rethink it's red-light camera program.
Last week the New Mexico State Transportation Commission unanimously approved a policy that allows the Department of Transportation to restrict or outright prohibit the cameras on any roads under its jurisdiction. In Las Cruces, that means the cameras at Avenida de Mesilla and south Valley Drive, and north Main Street and Solano Drive could be removed.
This is the second time the state has interceded in the red-light camera program. Last year the Legislature passed a bill that limits the amount of the fines that can be assessed and directs what percentage must go to the state.
Transportation Commission member John Hummer, of Las Cruces, said he supports red-light cameras, but is upset because the state's share of the money is not going to the Road Maintenance Fund.
And that really gets to the crux of the problem when it comes to red-light cameras. It always seems to be about revenue and never about public safety. There's big money to be made, and everybody wants their slice of the pie. That is why the Legislature acted last year.
We supported the cameras when they were first proposed. Anybody who has spent any time driving in Las Cruces knows there are far too many drivers blasting through the intersection when the light is red. If the cameras could curtail that behavior, we were all in favor.
But it has become clear by now that the program was passed without sufficient due diligence or
public explanation. The very term "red-light camera" is misleading, as the devices have resulted in far more speeding tickets than red-light violations. We know now that nearly any traffic violation committed at an intersection where the cameras are in place will result in a citation.
"While the true safety impact of the use of these cameras is still murky at best, one thing has become clear to the commission - more and more New Mexico cities seem to be putting driver-generated revenues ahead of sound traffic management techniques," Transportation Commission Chairman Johnny Cope said in explaining their decision.
If the city can prove Cope wrong and provide solid evidence as to the safety benefits of the cameras, it should do so now. If it can't, it may be time to end what has been a costly experiment for many local drivers.
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