Communities starting to remove red light cameras? (employment, interstate, legal)

[Memphis1979]

Mt. Juliet Won't Renew Contract For Traffic Cameras - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports

Could this be the way of the future? Most folks hate red light cameras, they cause accidents from people having to stop short at yellow lights to avoid tickets.

I got one about a year ago when someone passed me on the interstate. At the time, I lived in Florida and when I called to dispute it, I was told I could come to the court house, in Tennessee. That or pay the 100 dollar fine and not have it go on your record. Or go to court, pay 140 dollars in court cost, and it still didn't go on my record.

These things are a gimmick. Glad to see some communities are getting rid of them. There is a push to make them unconstitutional in Tennessee, I'm backing that effort.

[mateo45]

I wish we'd see less of these things, not more, which actually seems to be the growing trend. The technology is just too cheap and readily available, and as you've experienced... it produces revenue!

The camera resolution is starting to peak out in terms of bang-for-the-buck, but the area that I find really disturbing is how the software is getting much smarter, with facial, motion and number-plate recognition, and things like actually being able to pick an individual out of a crowd.

The UK is already estimated to have nearly 2 million CCT cameras, and if you really wanna see where all this is headed, check out China's Golden Shield project (aka, the Great Firewall of China), where the goal is to have all the country's security cams, linked to one massive database, capable of recognizing and instantly accessing any individual's legal, employment, health, and other records... for China's "security" of course!

[d4g4m]

In a very large majority of areas that have revenue cameras, it has been discovered that 90% of money collected is from less than 1 second red, right turns and stopped but wheels over the stop line. This coupled with many cities where the camera companies have been caught reducing the 'yellow' time to increase revenue and an increase in rear end collisions. Politicians are getting tired of hearing the complaints about how they are using cameras to close budget gaps.
FL legislaters attempted to ban cameras but were thawted by members who have accepted 're-election campaign' donations from camera companies.

[rbohm]

the other issue with red light cameras is when the revenue peaks, they raise the fines for the violations that are recorded by the cameras, and they also raise the cost of traffic school as well. at some point this has to stop, unfortunately it wont any time soon.