Red Light Camera News The Case Against Philly Red-Light Cameras
Dec 29, 2011 by Randy LoBasso
The Case Against Philly Red-Light Cameras
Image: Shutterstock
As we wrote last week http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/phillynow/2011/12/21/philly-red-light-cameras-extended-in-harrisburg/, out in Harrisburg, they decided to extend Philadelphia’s red light camera program for another six months. The program, spawned in 2005, has installed ticket-issuing Big Brothers on lights along the Boulevard and other spots in the city, most recently Vine Street. This is happening in the midst of the state government crashing and burning in debt and less tax revenue coming in than expected throughout the year. Of the $15 million the red light cameras have raised, about half goes to parts of the state other than Philadelphia. Debate was pretty heated with naysayers nay-saying there was not enough public input on where the cameras would go.
But there’s another debate over this issue. And it has less to do with the money the state can bring in for infrastructure projects. It goes like this: Red light cameras are fucking dangerous.
One of the most vocal anti-advocates for red light cameras has been the National Motorists Association http://www.motorists.org/, a nonprofit advocacy organization who work on behalf of drivers. They originated in the 80s with a literal need for speed and continued the roadtrip into our hearts with this red light issue. And they’ve been testifying all over the country against red-light cameras, which have become the norm in cities from sea to shining sea.
First and foremost, according to their research and a PW article from the past http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/red-light_district-38401769.html, accidents almost immediately shot up around Red Lion and Grant Avenue back in 2005, when they were first installed: “Ninety-one auto accidents occurred at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard between Feb. 23 and Sept. 4 [2005], including one fatal crash. The intersection was the scene of 82 accidents–one deadly–during this same time period in 2004, before the cameras existed, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.”
And back then, Councilman Frank Rizzo, Jr. said he saw it coming http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/red-light_district-38401769.html. “This situation is predictable,” he said. “When drivers see a camera or even a police officer at an intersection, they do erratic things. They may stop quickly or turn to avoid getting a traffic ticket.”
The Washington Post also released a study http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/activist-download a few years back, showing D.C.’s accidents went up after red light cameras were introduced there. AAA has been against the idea from the beginning.
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group http://www.uspirg.org/home/reports/report-archives/tax--budget-policy/tax--budget-policy--reports/caution-red-light-cameras-ahead found cameras “put the public at risk,” especially as motorists remain unclear about issues of yellow light duration, right on red enforcement and whether or not a “rolling stop” is wrong.
Not to mention confusion over what some have called the “dilemma zone,” which is the spot in traffic where the light turns red as you’re passing through, making the whole thing that much more confusing. According to the NMA, red light cameras often shorten the duration of yellow lights in order to hand out more tickets—because if they didn’t, the cameras would lose the city money. Then you get a ticket in the mail a week later, not really knowing what you did wrong.
Problem is, are red-light cameras even a safety precaution? Probably not. They’re more of a moneymaker. And in that regard, they work!
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