From the email inbox, a trio of correspondents sounds the alarm over red-light cameras that the City of Pittsburgh is installing:
“I loved your [March 6 “At Large”] column slamming red-light cameras (RLCs). Pittsburgh is screwing up everything. But it is not just the city,” the writer stressed.
“Poke around and see the nonsense with RLCs but how about the stop-arm cameras, automated parking enforcement cameras, etc. The parking ones were not approved by the state but there were state bills [proposing to do so]. The city claims it can just do it. The city wants other toys, too.
“Back in October 2013, James Walker of the National Motorists Association attended a secret meeting about red-light cameras. … It was kept below a quorum and people would come and go to make that happen. The folly of RLCs was exposed and the one camera firm guy’s face was cherry red,” he contends.
“All of this is poor engineering and predatory ticketing. It causes crashes, makes errors and tickets safe drivers,” Correspondent No. 1 concludes.
Says writer No. 2:
“Red-light cameras only exist to raise revenue and annoy people into not driving.
“[Have cities done things like] post 85th percentile speed limits [the threshold above which driving is deemed not safe for particular road/traffic conditions], make yellow lights longer, use a long all-red interval, use sensors to control the lights in case someone enters late?
“How about synchronizing all the lights so people see fewer red lights? How about fewer stop signs in other areas?
“The answer is ‘no,’ course. Simply adding a second of yellow time will reduce violations by 60 to 90 percent,” the writer contends. “Many of the tickets will also be for minor technical fouls or involve people in the ‘dilemma zone’” [where they must decide whether to suddenly stop and possibly be rear-ended or proceed through a respective intersection], he says.
“[Then there are] split-second violations; non-complete stops while turning right; stopping past the stop line; people in a left-turn lane, etc.
“All I can say is you run the risk of causing more crashes and you are telling people not to [visit your city by installing red-light cameras]. You might as well post a huge “Keep Out” sign.
Added Correspondent No. 3:
“Read your ‘STOP! The flawed public policy of red-light cameras’ piece. You hit the highlights of what I have been saying for 25 years.
“Pittsburgh doesn’t want you to know that in many jurisdictions where red-light cameras are active, accidents and injuries have increased.” …
“The ability to punish driver’s inadvertent and non-dangerous behavior with gotcha technology reflects governments’ desperate quest for ever more revenue,” the writer notes.
“Red-light cameras increase accidents and injuries. Intersections can be made safer with longer yellow lights. Based on the facts, red-light cameras should be banned in Pennsylvania.”
Thanks to our astute readers for sharing their views on a public policy that, in our view, clearly crosses a bright red line.
Colin McNickle is communications and marketing director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy (cmcnickle@alleghenyinstitute.org).
