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Bill To Ban Red Light Cameras To Be Heard
Photo by theilr via Flickr
Further to the multifold controversy of red light cameras and the decision of the Los Angeles Police Commission to extend their vendor contract with American Traffic Solutions for another three months, a bill to ban red light monitors across the state is set to be heard by a House committee on Wednesday, reports NBC LA.
$2.6 million has been spent on camera systems over the last two years, and since the first installation in 2006, there have been no red-light accident-related deaths at camera-monitored intersections, according to officials.
"AB 1008 would put an end to automated traffic enforcement systems, which employ photography and other automated methods to track and ticket motorists who gun through “pink” lights. The bill is scheduled to be considered in the Assembly Local Government Committee. If adopted, the ban would take effect in January of 2012. Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca) was spurred to introduce the legislation after constituents raised concerns that the monitors were lining municipal coffers at the expense of public safety, said John Sobel, Cooks’s chief of staff. 'If we are installing cameras simply for the sake of increasing revenue, that’s not a good reason to have them,' Sobel said."
40,000 tickets from 16 camera-monitored intersections generated nearly $6.2 million in revenue in 2009 according to city records, notes NBC LA. However, the cameras are reportedly running at a loss because of operating costs, strain on the court system and uncollected fines.
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