Ohioans not giving green light to red light cams

Ohio seems to be the hub of efforts against traffic light cameras.

After voters in Cincinnati voted last week to outlaw red light cams, other cities in the Buckeye State may follow suit. The Cincinnati effort to ban red light cams was backed by political parties ranging from the Greens to the Libertarians as well as by the NAACP.

The media machine usually tries to impress upon the masses the alleged effectiveness of traffic light cams, but it never cites statistics to boost its cause. The press always seems rather gullible regarding command state programs, and this is no exception. However, a study by the Virginia Department of Transportation shows accidents increased by nearly a third where the cameras were used.

(In this entry, I'm very limited with sources, because most major media won't report any statistics at all.)

There's also other reasons to oppose the cameras: In other jurisdictions, they've issued tickets to the wrong motorists after misreading the license plates. There have also been attempts made to expand them into all-purpose spy cams. In some locales, the cams have been used to track citizen gatherings.

The camera program also smacks of dishonesty: It's used primarily for revenue purposes and to pad the coffers of corporations that run the cams - not for road safety. This is why traffic lights that have cameras often feature shortened yellow phases that have led to wrecks.

In BushAmerica, you're being watched - and it's not for your own good. But now Cincinnati voters have finally had their say.

(Source: http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2590.asp;
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/25/2588.asp;
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1844.asp)