On: Red light camera firm paid for Chicago official’s ...

[pmorici]

Traffic ticket cameras in general whether they be read light or speed cameras are a complete racket. In many if not most jurisdictions the government doesn't actually own the traffic cameras they just license the privilege of deploying them to a private company who gives the government a cut.

The problem is that they just mail out as many tickets as possible without regard for whether or not they are even correct and hope people don't dispute them. It also makes for great incentives for corruption as this story illustrates.

Here are just a few examples from Maryland I'm familiar with...

http://www.wtop.com/41/2802160/Md-court-of-appeals-to-hear-s...

http://www.mddriversalliance.org/2009/03/maryland-red-light-...

http://www.byrdandbyrd.com/speedcamera.php

[tmuir → pmorici]

The part that really irks me is the optimization for revenue that seems to occur with red light camera intersections. They are hoping that you will run the light.

For instance, a north-south road has the red. The intersecting east-west road has a left turn arrow. The north-south's right turn lanes should be able to turn, and before the cameras were installed, they simply had yield signs. But now that there's money to be made, there is no turn on red.

Another variation on the same idea: The north-south road's light is turning red. The east-west road will get a left turn arrow, and the north-south road will get a right turn arrow. Before the cameras were installed, the right turn arrows started at the same time as the yellow in the same direction, so right turners didn't have to stop. Now that there's $100 per violation to be made, there is a 3 second delay between red light and right turn arrow.