http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/editorials/safety-was-never-the-point-2352186.html?cxtype=rss_editorials

Safety was never the point

Opinion blog
Opinion Zone (editorial board) »
 
By The Palm Beach Post Updated: 7:33 p.m. Friday, May 11, 2012

Posted: 7:25 p.m. Friday, May 11, 2012

For the drivers who challenged the constitutionality of red-light cameras in Florida, it really did turn out to be more about the principle than the money.

Under a settlement announced last week, about 1,500 drivers who got tickets before the Legislature set statewide rules for local government camera programs will get refunds of $26.57 from $125 tickets. Their lawsuit had alleged that the programs were illegal because they created local traffic rules. All traffic penalties were standardized statewide when Florida abolished municipal courts in the late 1960s. In November, though, the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Miami upheld a camera program in Aventura.

While the cities, including West Palm Beach, admitted no wrongdoing, the legal result can't change the hypocrisy that was behind the cameras before June 30, 2010, when the Legislature made them legal, and remains. Local governments claim that the issue is safety. In fact, it's money. Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad agrees.

In a recent interview with The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board, Mr. Prasad pointed out what we and other critics have: If cities and counties want to address red-light running, there are ways to do so that don't seek to generate revenue from tickets. "You can hold all the lights red for two or three seconds," Mr. Prasad said. "When you bring in the element of money, it changes everything."

Mr. Prasad and DOT District 4 Director Jim Wolf noted other flaws. Cameras change behavior only at intersections with cameras. If the cameras were removed, would any reduction in red-light running be permanent?

State legislators got in on the scam in 2010, when they blessed the cameras only after giving the state a cut - $70 of the $158 fine. Obviously, red-light running is a serious issue. As property values dropped and government budgets shrank, though, making money in the name of safety became a more serious issue.

- Randy Schultz,

for The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Title
Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Email
Write the displayed characters
Subscribe via email (registered users only)
	Add Comment Preview