On Red Light Cameras

Yesterday, a report in the Dallas Morning News detailed the use (and some say abuse) of red-light cameras in various Texas cities. As far as I am concerned the real story was in this side bar article detailing the uptick of lobbying in Austin by the producers of this technology.While friends claim a significant increase in safety at intersections with these cameras, some studies have indicated that fender benders increase and thus slow traffic overall and have a negative economic effect by delaying people on these roads.I believe the real issue is that local governments get hooked on the revenue and have even been known to shorted the yellow light cycle in order to increase the overall fines generated. Some governments have even begun using them to take pictures of all cars entering a city and running the license plates against other databases.As an elected official I would support a law to remove these cameras.