(Thanks to Camerafraud on Facebook for the link)

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/light-280282-red-cameras.html

Published: Dec. 14, 2010
Updated: 5:38 p.m.
Editorial: Red-light cameras never clicked

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Increasingly, it seems, the public and their elected officials are seeing the wisdom of banishing those snooping red light cameras that hover above intersections to document motorists' traffic transgressions.
 

These red-light bandits, we fear, are more often intended to pad government treasuries than to make driving safer. There also is mounting evidence the cameras do a better job of the former than the latter. Even so, not all governments profit equally.

"While the state collects millions of dollars from red-light cameras at intersections, a few California cities are starting to question whether the safety benefits are worth the high cost to their own coffers," according to CaliforniaWatch.org, an online news operation of the nonpartisan Center for Investigative Reporting.
 

Most recently, city officials in Loma Linda ended their red-light camera program after calculating that $15 million in fines netted the city only $200,000 over five years. The bulk of fine money went to the state and the private company operating the cameras.
 

In November, Anaheim voters overwhelmingly chose to end that city's red-light camera program, in the view of then-Mayor Curt Pringle, because they recognized the eyes in the sky haven't deterred traffic violators or collisions.
 

Costa Mesa, Fullerton and Irvine also have rejected similar programs, according to CaliforniaWatch.org, along with at least 20 other California cities. We suspect Anaheim's example, in which 73 percent voted to end the program, may be indicative of wider sentiment. In Texas, Houston voters passed a similar initiative to end their program.
 

In addition to uneasiness over intrusive government watching everyone's every move and the crass desire of governments to enrich themselves, there's also evidence the programs don't even make economic sense. The Los Angeles City Controller's Office determined L.A.'s red-light program on the whole cost the city $2.5 million to operate in 2008 and 2009, with no improvement in traffic flow.
 

Studies in Arizona, New Mexico and Canada concluded cameras cause rear-end accidents as motorists stop abruptly to avoid citations, while Loma Linda determined 80 percent of tickets were issued for legal right turns on a red light.

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