Red Light Camera News Forget about it! No red light cameras in Dayton
Forget about it! No red light cameras in Dayton
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 3:49 pm | Updated: 3:53 pm, Tue Nov 22, 2011.
By STEPHEN THOMAS Houston Community Newspapers
There shall be no red light cameras in the City of Dayton. Consistent with the voters’ rejection of the purported revenue-generating traffic safety devices, the Dayton City Council unanimously scrapped the idea at its Nov. 21 meeting at Dayton City Hall.
Opponents of traffic control cameras outnumbered supporters by a vote of 347 to 152 in the Nov. 8 non-binding referendum.
Neither the electoral outcome nor the compatible vote of the council broke Councilman Bill Gay’s heart.
For a story posted on www.yourdaytonnews.com on Aug. 17, Gay questioned court enforceability of mechanical, rather than sworn officer-based, traffic citations. He also opposed the use of red light cameras because they impair the right of the accused to face his or her accuser, a fundamental tenet of the rule of law.
Gay, who nevertheless supported putting the matter to a vote of the people, received feedback prior to the election that portended the camera concept’s demise.
“My feelings are that most of the comments that I’ve got were very negative, on the majority,” Gay said, alluding to the rejection of red light cameras following their short-lived use in Houston and in Baytown. “In the experience of other cities, the problems that they have had, I don’t think the citizens of Dayton really wanted to get into that same boat that has already seen a few leaks on the other cities. That was my feeling about it.”
A private citizen and representatives of organizations that opposed the installation of red light cameras in Baytown and in Humble addressed the Dayton City Council on Aug. 29.
A representative for American Traffic Solutions Inc., which has helped numerous cities to institute the cameras, cancelled his presentation to the council, which was scheduled for that meeting.
During that session, Gay made the motion to pass a resolution that would institute a non-binding referendum on the installation of the “traffic control cameras” at numerous Dayton intersections. Councilwoman Barbara Zaruba seconded. The vote then was unanimous, as was the council’s last word.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Articles Menu
Find Info
Latest Comments
Member Login
