Cincinnati Voters Ban Red Light Cameras: Should Other Cities Follow?

I wish we could vote to ban police from using laser to enforce speed limits. Laser is so hard to pick up...my V1 even has trouble with it.

Agreed. Radar is enough, we live in a "free" country... don't we.

The difference with the laser is that you are free to shine one of your own back to the 5-0. You know I keep one of those 3,000,000 candelas spot lights on my passenger seat and at night like to shine it on the bushes of the NJ turnpike were the Nazis hide :)

Photo radar is a cash cow. My car got a photo radar ticket in the mail but it was a simple fine with the explanation that no points will be deducted as they are unable to identify the driver -- oh well, its the cost of doing business or putting up with government BS.

Charlie Luken is dead on.

These things are a nuisance in every major city...especially here in DC. Somtimes driving (if you can call it that during rush hour) around here feels almost like driving in Britian. These things aren't to the benifit of the public, they are to punish the public for the missmangment of funds by the cities elected officials.

Furthermore, these things are actually dangerous...by the way they impede the natural flow of traffic. When everyone is driving at 40mph very close to one another and one of these lights turns yellow, all you see is cars nose dive to prevent from crossing the white line. It dosen't even need to be wet and you get a bunch of rear end accidents.

I wish a study would be performed to see how well these camera lights and speed traps actually "help" the publice...or in reality...how many accidents they cause with people unnaturally jumping on the brakes.

...little rant over

In Ohio, we see enough State Troopers on the highway. And then Ohio has stepped-up their use of unmarked cars too. Red-Light cameras would be just too much.

Drivers would have to look out for both construction barrels & speed cameras. Thanks Cincy voters!

We've got them here in Chicago and they truly suck. A month after the violation (that you may or may not know about) you get a bill from them by mail for $100 that you can't even dispute. They also send you a weblink of video that you can go watch of you running through or turning at the light. Again, it truly sucks.

"Cincinnati Voters Ban Red Light Cameras: Should Other Cities Follow?"

are you serious oo9?

I also would rather have speed cameras than douche cops on the hwy as well. If you want to do it for the safety of drivers have the camera go off at 80 or 85 not 60. Everyone goes about 15 over on the hwy.

Nobody has it as bad as phoenix. We have had photo vans for years. We have had red light cameras and speed cameras at intersections for years. About 3 years ago we got speed cameras on freeways, and they just expanded that program to encompass the vast majority of freeways in the area including mobile speed vans. On the freeway. It sucks.

@sholemon

The city I live in has been importing a few of Phoenix's photo radar vans; We've got at least 3 here now with AZ plates on them.

Apparently most of the posters here haven't had the misfortune of helping at the scene of accidents caused by folks trying to scream through intersections. Before we got cameras here in Houston you could wait for 3,4 5 cars to make their way through a red light before risking to travel forward on green. There is no point whatsoever in passing ordinances that impede the enforcement of traffic laws that basically just make daily getting around town reasonably safe, except to make it easier for egomaniacs behind a steering wheel to amuse themselves at the possible expense of anyone they might, God forbid, run into, hurt, maim, kill, etc. Does this collect more money for cities? Fine. Who cares? They need it. I hope this initiative goes nowhere. We will all be safer.

Charlie Luken has my vote for quote of the year, 2005. If that guy ever runs for anything, I'm voting for him. You don't find honesty like that in politicians every day.
I don't agree with the idea of red light cameras or speed cameras; uhhh... hire more cops to actually do traffic patrol. That said, there is a need for driver vigilance.
I have witnessed people running through red lights, absolutely oblivious to the fact they were running a light. Lately, they ALL seem to be on cell phones. Heck, a lady ran a stop sign just a few months ago and almost broadsided my Bimmer. Were it not for the outstanding transient response of the car and a bit of divine intervention, I would have been seriously hurt or killed.
The lady? Oh, she didn't even put her phone down or slow down. She kept on going. And probably blamed me.

ouch!