Petitions to place the fate of red light cameras and speed cameras in the hands of voters are circulating across the country. This November, photo enforcement bans are likely to be considered in three Ohio and two Texas cities. Every Arizona jurisdiction may have a chance to vote on a statewide ballot initiative in November 2010. So far, the efforts in Ohio are the most advanced. In April, the group Citizens Against Photo Enforcement succeeded in having an automated ticketing ban certified for the ballot in Chillicothe. We Demand a Vote this week secured more than the required number of signatures to qualify for the ballot in Heath. The group will continue to collect additional signatures before making a formal submission to election officials. A third petition in Toledo has secured half of the required number of signatures.
“The Coalition Against Spending and Taxes (COAST) and Americans for Prosperity are firmly committed to seeing it is done,” COAST spokesman Chris Finney told TheNewspaper. “We had a decent rally in Toledo on the 8th, after collecting 1200 signatures in less than ten days.”
Finney is confident the issue will be placed on the ballot and, once before the voters, red light cameras will be banned. Finney’s prediction is based on his experience helping to lead a coalition that ousted red light cameras from Cincinnati last year. In 2006, seventy-six percent of Steubenville voters rejected photo radar.
Efforts to ban cameras in Texas cities are also proceeding. Tomorrow, local activist Jim Ash will hold a rally during which he will present election officials with a petition to put a referendum on red light cameras in College Station on the next ballot. Ash had little difficulty in convincing the required number of residents to sign.
“The cities say it is a safety program,” Ash wrote on his website. “I have evidence that one city council member even expected to see rear end accidents increase and still went ahead with the program. I, along with many others, have concluded the red light camera program is more about the money than anything else.”
Former city councilman Paul Ford also continues his effort to line up signatures to ban red light cameras in Duncanville. Although the issue has never been placed directly on a Texas ballot, 64 percent of Arlington voters rejected a 2003 attempt to install “traffic management cameras” that opponents at the time said could be converted into ticketing cameras.
The most ambitious of all referendum efforts, however, is underway in Arizona. The group Camerafraud.com needs 153,364 verified signatures to give voters a say in whether automated ticketing machines should be allowed in the state. Camerafraud volunteer Shawn Dow told TheNewspaper that the petition has met with nearly universal support from the public.
“Photo radar is all people are talking about here,” Dow said. “The cameras are coming down.”
Already feeling the public backlash growing in the state, traffic cameras companies like Redflex Traffic Systems of Melbourne, Australia have begun taking steps to improve their local image. Redflex has begun sponsoring traffic reports on local radio stations like KTAR. Its Arizona-based competitor, American Traffic Solutions, recently gave sixty-five backpacks to school children.
History shows these companies will face an uphill battle at the ballot box. By a two-to-one margin, voters in Peoria, Arizona ordered speed cameras to come down in the mid-Nineties. Voters in Batavia, Illinois and Anchorage, Alaska have also rejected photo radar. So far this year, eighty-six percent of Sulphur, Louisiana rejected speed cameras. Photo enforcement has never survived a public vote. The state legislatures in Maine, Mississippi and Montana also enacted laws prohibiting automated ticketing machines in 2009.
The citizens are speaking, and traffic/red light cameras are not wanted! They are not for safety, they are for revenue. Big Brother will not be tolerated.
We can thank the UK for showing us what a monitored society ends up looking like along with how the traffic fines follow. It’s a shame the subjects over there don’t get to have a say in such matters, more like
“Yes me Lord”
It was announced in the Chicago papers today the city of Schaumburg, IL has removed all cameras from lights.
A featured series on this has run all week in the Daily Herald.
First, 75 percent of red light tickets has come from Right Turns at Red Lights…NOT from running red lights as advertised.
Second. turning on red lights WITHOUT complete stops has NOT caused but a very few accidents, if any.
These are the proven statistics.
Therefore the cameras have always been about money.
IF they REALLY wanted to prevent accidents, this could get a whole lot uglier with speed enforced cameras or tollway pass records.
The city of Schaumburg did this as a result of angry voter petitioning.
Why can’t we have red light cameras – those not intended to make money. The irresponsible installations reduce the yellow time to catch more people. Mainly they don’t extend the yellows. I’m not against them catching the few who habitually run red lights several seconds after it turns red b/c they are dangerous to those around us. They seldomly get caught b/c a cop has to be there at the right time. If you do install red light cameras – it should be required to post the yellow lights slightly longer maybe 1 – 2 seconds to give those who can make the light enough time.
A much easier fix is actually posting the green to flash 2-3 seconds before it will change b/c those stale green lights are the worst. Give me time to make a decision not a fraction of a second to speed up or slam on the brakes.
And in Montgomery County, Maryland, http://wtopnews.com/?nid=706&sid=1718050 cops caught by cameras get their tickets thrown out.
It’s all about due process.
Gosh, individuals citizens against the power of politicians desperate for cash, photo camera companies, insurance companies and traffic blue haired ladies? One would think this is as stupid as revolutions based on quartering soldiers inside homes and stamp duties.
Meh…I’ve gotten used to them. I actually enjoy watching the idiots who are CLEARLY WAY LATE getting through the intersection set off the telltale flash. Sadistic I know, but I’d rather have that than that driver t-boning me when the traffic signal says I’m supposedly good to go.
Minor quibble: Red-light cameras weren’t ousted from Cincinnati. The vote last fall was in essence a preemptive strike, and kept them from being installed. The City never got as far as letting a contract.
BTW, the vote only applied to the City of Cincinnati, but it seems to have had an effect on the suburbs as well. Not one suburban community has even discussed them seriously, so in that case, elected officials seem to realize what the public doesn’t want.
make_or_break
Look, we all love seeing idiots get their due.
Its a good thing I don’t carry a hand gun most days!
But I tried to explain THESE are NOT the ones getting the tickets.
Its the right-turn-on-reds getting the tickets.
AND the cameras don’t tell the tale.
For instance IF you stop, creep up for better vision…YOU get a ticket.
And again another point is the first lie…it was to prevent accidents.
It is proven with data it isn’t happening AND the right turn violators, the 75 percent getting fined, do NOT cause the accidents.
So let the sun shine on the bull and hopefully sterilize.