Robotic Cameras at Red Lights: Not So Fast	by Alex Park

I see that Buffalo is seriously considering installing red light cameras that robotically photograph a car’s license plate and mail out a ticket for about $100. Superficially, this seems like a great idea for a revenue strapped government, for the politicians are already chortling about $3 million plus in fines. After all, these people are guilty, right?

This idea is about as good as get rich quick schemes of Ralph Kramden or Homer Simpson. And frankly, this area has a history of quick fixes. The train. The Adelphia building. The Bass Pro project, at a cost to taxpayers of about $100 million. (While their competitor seems to be surviving at the Galleria and paying taxes.) Selling the windfall tobacco payment for a quick payoff.

Robot ticketing lets a government use mass production to make an end-run around the fundamental American concept of innocent until proven guilty, no awkward police confrontations, just a ticket in the mailbox, sent by a profit-driven corporation. Who’s going to pay? Why, you are! And add that to your obscenely high New York State insurance rates, too. Insurance regulators have considered asking insurance companies to reduce their very high rates in this state for accidents are down. Of course they are for we’re driving less because of the price of gas.

There are better ways to do this. As a usual pedestrian, there are certain intersections where running a red light seems common. (Elmwood and Summer comes to mind.) I’ve seen the Buffalo police run small operations to ticket these people, and it works well when they’re inclined to do so.

Examine the tyranny here: It’s a revenue scam dressed up as a safety issue run by a for-profit business that makes no money on innocent verdicts, despite the fact that there are no statistics on red-light running, as the federal database doesn’t even keep them. The Federal Highway Administration and the Virginia Department of Transportation found that “cameras were associated with an increase in total crashes.” Six Virginia cities with red light cameras were studied. Injury crashes were down at one location and up from six to 89 percent in the others. Rear-enders were up at all locations. Same story in Stockton, CA and Seattle, WA. Untroubled by facts, Police Chief Kerlikowski of LA declared a complete victory and proposed more cameras. This is from the LAPD, which in the last six years, in its own self-investigation, has determined that there are zero cases of racial profiling by the department.

If red light cameras don’t reduce violations, what does? The length of the yellow, according to the Texas Traffic Institute. Adding one second cuts violations by 53 percent. Cutting violations increases them 110 percent. In total, 77 percent of violations occur in the first second of the red. As good as it might be for safety, San Diego increased its take $2 million after trimming the grace period by .1 second. In Dallas, seven of the top revenue-raising cameras have yellows shorter than the minimum recommendation of the Texas Department of Transportation.

Which way do you think Buffalo would go? Still think it’s about safety? It’s about the money!

And speaking of camera monitoring for safety, what about the cameras installed at various “problem” areas for surveillance? They have cost at least $3 million, plus eternal fees for actual monitoring and maintenance, and have local officials gushing in glee. Is this the best we can do? Cameras are always going to be reactive rather than proactive, and are always invasive. Certainly there are problem areas all over the city, but they might be better served by actual police presence on a regular basis. Now I don’t wish to be to radical here, but what about cops actually walking a beat in decent weather? Certainly a real live cop is going to show more judgment among people he might know, finer nuances of where guilt is and when help is what is really needed than some remote technician with inferior training. After all, they are there, and will more likely forestall crime than simply record it.

I remember a few years ago, two (giant) cops walked up and down Elmwood in the summer, and I think they did a lot of good. Why not Chippewa and the Theater District in season, so more fearful suburbanites may venture downtown safely?

There is another thing about this constant monitoring and judgments and tickets. It’s the “ick” factor? Do we really want to be like England, which now has about four million cameras monitoring and ticketing its citizens? Ironic, from the country that brought us 1984, isn’t it? Personally, I’d rather not go there now.

And all this in a time of declining crime. Better protest now while you still can.

Alex Park
Buffalo

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