I know that there are people who read my blog who aren’t otherwise in contact with me. For those people (and anyone else who cares to respond here, rather than the emails I sent out) I have a question:
Do you have any strong objections to red light running enforcement cameras? If so, why?
Yes, I object for a few reasons.
The obvious big brother argument, another set of eyes etc.
What happens if someone is having an emergency and is trying to get to a hospital or trying to get away from someone that is threatening them? Are they going to get a ticket for every red light they run on their way to the police station?
What about cars that are already halfway through an intersection trying to take a left and waiting for oncoming traffic to clear? They can’t exactly backup if the light turns red. Are they going to get a ticket for running the red light? Maybe a clarification of what constitutes running a red light is in order here.
There are a few traffic lights in our area that aren’t timed correctly or are on a rush hour schedule even at 11PM and sometimes even 1AM. There have been occasions that a light has turned without anything triggering it. As long as there are no other cars around I usually run the red light.
I could possibly see doing this for rush hour or daylight only in high accident/incident intersections but it’s definitely not needed in all or most places. Appropriate warning signs should be posted as well which will also deter incidents.
Leesburg Pike (Route 7) from Leesburg, VA, to Tysons Corner, VA, had a red light camera on the intersection of Dranesville Rd. It was posted before the intersection that “Red light cameras [were] in effect.” It seemed to do relatively well, since I’d see the strobe flash every other time I was at the intersection. I have a habit of accelerating when I see a yellow light, but I refrained from such behavior at that light.
Vienna, VA, had a number of red light cameras on Main Street and Nutley St.
I often see traffic light cameras discussed as “revenue generators” for municipal governments, but then I also see the statistics where accidents decrease when red light cameras are used.
I have no strong objections to red light cameras. I see them as a “necessary evil”, similar to speed bumps in neighborhoods where people drive 35mph in a 15mph zone.
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