Red light cameras coming to my town...

[Goose]

My local paper says that red light cameras will be installed at some intersections in my town. Although some of these intersections can be avoided with detours, this isn't the point of my rant.

This situation just doesn't pass the smell test for me. While the local authorities are (of course) playing up the public safety angle, the cameras look like, at best, a real conflict of interest. The company that is leasing the cameras to the town charges ~$5,000 per camera, per month to the town. The interesting part of the arrangement is that the fee to the town is waived if the cameras issue tickets beyond this amount each month. Each ticket will be $120 and are issued by the camera company "on behalf of" the town.

To me, this looks like nothing more than a revenue stream. The camera company is clearly motivated to issue as many tickets as they can, since they pocket a portion of the proceeds. At $120 per ticket, thirty days is plenty of time to make well beyond five grand.

How about this example:

What if you're waiting in the intersection to make a left turn. Oncoming traffic doesn't let up until the light goes yellow/red before you can make your turn. What's to prevent the camera from snapping your picture and claiming that you ran the light?

Time to look into those photo-blocking plate covers...