Texas Senator Proposes Half Of Red Light Camera Revenue Go To Trauma Centers

The most senior Texas state lawmaker admitted last week that he voted to save red light camera programs even though he knew they had no effect on public safety. State Senator John Whitmire (D-Houston), who was first elected to the legislature in 1973, appeared on KTRH radio's morning news program to discuss how public opposition to red light cameras persuaded legislators to devote some of the camera profit to trauma centers.

"People went to Austin protesting it, and so John Carona -- a senator from Dallas -- didn't want to eliminate them," Whitmire explained. "He said, you know, it's obviously a revenue source. Local communities try to sell it as public safety, cutting down on red light running. He and I and I think most people would realize it's really a revenue source. John Carona in Austin said, I'm not going to eliminate but let the state have half of that revenue dedicated to trauma care which is badly underfunded."

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1c3am5 - 1/17/2012 9:29:37 AM

+1 Boost

Thank Gawd I live in Michigan...

No cameras
No inspections
No random insurance checks
No random sobriety checks
No weather-related driving bans
No toll roads
Cheap License plates
Non-expiring collector plates
Must-issue CCW permits

Yay Detroit!

Agent009 - 1/17/2012 9:51:21 AM

+1 Boost

But then again:
High unemployment
Declining public schools
High crime
High murder rate
City budget that is on it knees

Yep I can see the advantages

g2ok - 1/17/2012 11:59:34 AM

+1 Boost

Government is not suppose to be for profit. If there is no safety, then remove them.

MorePower - 1/17/2012 9:34:00 PM

+1 Boost

Unfortunately, most of these systems are put in place not for profit, but as a way of reducing costs and generating loss revenue from failed attempts at raising property and corporate taxes.

MorePower - 1/17/2012 9:36:45 PM

+1 Boost

No one wants to get a ticket, but I would prefer getting one from someone behind a badge than from a machine. If it only employs one traffic officer, the money spent on these camera systems would be better used putting a person to work.

1c3am5 - 1/18/2012 9:20:36 AM

+1 Boost

009, you fail to realize the problems you mention are mostly an issue in the City of Detroit proper, not in the surrounding suburbs. In fact, crime in the city is down because almost no one lives there anymore.

The city has imploded on itself not because of unions or the auto industry... The industry is thriving outside of the city. The city failed because of decades of corrupt mayors and councilmen cut from the Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton cloth. Eventually, the city will be taken over by the state and people will begin to re-invest. Circle of life.