It's back, but with a twist. The Red-Light cameras originally proposed back in the VanCam days were designed to catch people who entered the intersection after the light turned red. I had no problem with that.
But according to the news reports, the new proposal is for people in the intersection when the light turns red. To me that's a completely different and disturbing change.
My cynical side says that this is a ploy by a vendor of cameras in states with a more restrictive interpretation of a red light, or that it's a ploy to get a steady revenue stream for the state.
Yes, there's a law about clearing the intersection. But there's a big difference between someone who is in the intersection and near the speed limit when it changes and someone who blocks traffic. While I try to avoid getting caught like that, sometimes traffic comes to an unexpected stop and it happens. It's at worst a traffic flow issue. Not a safety issue like entering an intersection on a red.
But according to the news reports, the new proposal is for people in the intersection when the light turns red. To me that's a completely different and disturbing change.
My cynical side says that this is a ploy by a vendor of cameras in states with a more restrictive interpretation of a red light, or that it's a ploy to get a steady revenue stream for the state.
Yes, there's a law about clearing the intersection. But there's a big difference between someone who is in the intersection and near the speed limit when it changes and someone who blocks traffic. While I try to avoid getting caught like that, sometimes traffic comes to an unexpected stop and it happens. It's at worst a traffic flow issue. Not a safety issue like entering an intersection on a red.
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