How About A Compromise On The Red Light Camera's...... [View all]

There's activity in the Illinois House on Red Light Camera's. Some that want to do away with them altogether saying it is just a money making scheme and others that are saying that it is a 'safety issue'.

So how about a compromise. I'm for safety. If that is the reason we have those cameras then a compromise would be the following:

At every intersection where there is placement of a red light camera it will be mandatory to have count down meters on all corners of the intersection.

Right now the way I understand it is that there are many rear end accidents at these intersections because people slam on the brakes as the light begins to change to avoid the $100 ticket. That doesn't sound safe to me.

The purpose of count down meters is to let everybody that is approaching the intersection know how much time they have to stop. If the count down is nearing zero as they are approaching the intersection - they can begin to slow down and be ready to brake. That to me is assuring safety. If a person then goes through the red light with the count down meters - well then they deserve a ticket. They had fair warning and chose not to slow down and stop.

To me that is the compromise. It allows the cameras to stay in place and it promotes safety in giving people a fair warning that the light will soon be turning red.

Now with speed cameras - everywhere there is a speed camera - they should put up well in advance of the speed camera - those signs that track the cars speed. This will give everyone an opportunity to slow down and not get a speeding ticket. That is also a safety measure. Again - if one saw their speed on one of these speed signs and didn't slow down - then they deserve a speeding ticket.

The sign that tracks the speed of the car will also serve another purpose - it would warn people that a speed camera zone is coming up and they should heed their speed.

If Illinois legislators are really serious about safety and having both red light and speed camera's then they should take the above suggested steps to assure safety. If they don't - then we know what they are really interested in - REVENUE.