Don Stauffer wrote:
>
> John S. wrote:
> > The most effective anti-red light camera product I'm aware of is very
> > low cost, easy to apply and 100% effective:
> > .
> > .
> > .
> > .
> > .
> > Just stop at the red light.
> >
>
> I sometimes wonder- this really is a democracy, at a local level. If we
> did a survey on whether to repeal all traffic laws, what would the
> result be? If we don't want to have traffic laws, why don't we just
> tell our reps to get rid of them all? By far the majority of drivers
> exceed the speed limits. Why to we bother to have them?
>
> Or is the feeling that everyone but me should obey the rules, so we
> still need them. Of course, everyone else is also a me.


The biggest flaw I can see here is that people assume,
incorrectly I might add, that the yellow timing is set
to a safe number when red light cameras are install. The
fact is that there is a minimum and maximum timing allowed
by most state laws and ordinance/codes. Most traffic
engineers set the yellow time to around the middle of that
range, sometimes a slight bit to the longer side of the
middle. Why? It promotes safe driving. If the time is set
to the bare minimum then people will be more likely to slam
on their brakes on yellow and cause an accident. It also
promotes yellow light running because people will feel,
correctly, that there is likely to be much less time to
stop before the light turns red and they're more likely
to decide to try and beat the light instead.

Now, most red light camera programs in this country are
actually private affairs where the equipment maker offers
to come set up the hundreds of thousands of dollars of
cameras and recording equipment for free, for a cut of
the ticket profits. To maximise their profits, the equipment
maker has the city sign a legally binding contract that orders
the city traffic engineers to turn the yellow light timing
down to the minimum allowed by law/code/ordinance. This
ensures that the most number of people will get caught in
the intersection when the light turns red, by minimizing the
time that drivers have to react and stop.

Now, there's a clear conflict of interest here between
safety and corporate profits. To me, it should seem that
safety needs to always win out. Because cities that promote
dangerous driving and increased accidents are not cities
that I want to drive in, I specifically avoid driving in
or through any cities that enact red light camera systems,
and I send letters to retailers and the city explaining
why I choose to no longer shop in or visit their city.

JazzMan
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