http://washmo.com/blogs/guy-midkiff/942

from www.stpetecameras.org

UNPLUGGED! Washington Red Light Cameras     
Local Blogs - Guy Midkiff 
Monday, 03 January 2011 
 

Joining a growing chorus of municipalities choosing to just say no to red light cameras, the Washington City Council gave the boot to red light camera company, American Traffic Solutions (ATS), tonight.

By a decisive 6 to 2 margin (Caroline Witt and Connie  Groff voted for the cameras, John Rhodes, Steve Sullentrup, Tim Buddemeyer, Tim Brinker, Walt Meyer and Mark Hidritch voted against), Washington City Council directed Mayor Lucy to draft a letter to ATS stating Washington will not renew their 3 year red light camera contract.

Councilman Brinker, who originally voted for the cameras, said tonight that the  $500,000,  3 year red light camera experiment had showed no tangible  results and made it clear he would no longer support the cameras continued existence. Councilman Sullentrup summarized his position by stating that cameras can't prevent accidents and that drivers must take responsibility for their own driving and not depend on technology for their well being.

Near tears, Councilman Buddemeyer presented a picture of a relative that had been killed at an intersection by an intoxicated driver and that a red light camera would  not have prevented her death. Councilman Rhodes put together data in a scatter diagram that emphatically and graphically supported his contention that there had been no measurable increase in safety at the intersections since the inception of  red light cameras.  He went on to describe the $500,000 in fines to drivers as a"fleecing." 

Councilwoman Witt, who supported the use of red light cameras and voted to keep them, described her support as a feeling she had that they worked, but presented no data to support her position.

ATS representatives, Ron Batelle (Retired St Louis Police Chief) and Dan Reeb, attempted to resuscitate a clearly dead on arrival patient and at one point asked the City Council to table their vote. Clearly, the City Council would have no part of continuing the cameras and quickly moved to cut off debate and determine the fate of red light cameras in Washington.

So, red light cameras are dead in Washington, Missouri. The $500,000 "experiment" has been deemed a failure.

(I will be adding video to this post once I get it edited, so check back soon.)

Guy Midkiff 
 
 

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