By Brenda Flanagan
Correspondent
Multiple choice: red light cameras A) reduce accident rates for T-bone crashes; B) produce rich municipal revenue streams; or C) milk hapless motorists to generate that generous cash flow.
“I’d say, C. They take advantage of the motorist. It’s just an easy way to make money,” said Mary Ann Bock of Petersburg.
“I think it’s a revenue stream for the cities,” said Tom Frei of Normandy Beach.
“I just don’t like the idea you’re watched all the time like that, you know,” said Bill Gibson of Lake Placid. When asked if Big Brother’s not only watching you, he’s issuing tickets, Gibson said, “Yes, he is.”
No, he’s not — not any more. As of midnight tonight, New Jersey’s glitch-plagued RLC pilot program expires. In a letter to 24 participating towns, New Jersey’s Department of Transportation says, “municipalities will lack statutory authority to continue the operation of traffic control signal monitoring systems…including the issuance of citations.”
“Merry Christmas to the motorists of New Jersey,” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon.
Longtime foe O’Scanlon cheers the red light camera pilot program’s demise — says it’s a big deal.
“New Jersey will be the first state to have had cameras and thrown them out — en masse — the very first one,” O’Scanlon said.
With cameras currently installed at 73 intersections, RLCs record cars passing through intersections, images evaluated by police officers like one in Roselle. Tickets carry $85 fines, but the pilot program hit snags almost from the get-go. In 2012, New Jersey’s DOT suspended it temporarily while correcting mistimed light cycles. Earlier this year, the courts tossed out 17,000 tickets because one company — ATS — delayed mailing the summonses. Arguments also erupted over whether the cameras actually reduced accidents at intersections, and opponents argue New Jersey’s pilot program can’t even answer that question in a report on data it collected.
“It’s not science. It’s just a really poorly done job. On top of that it never really also looked at what kind of safety performance can you get if you properly engineer the intersections,” said Director of Government Affairs, NJ Chapter National Motorists Association, Stephen Carellas.
“They may leave their equipment in place, hoping to get the program reinstated so this is a very big significant battle today, but the war won’t be won ’til all this equipment is removed or it rots and falls down into the street,” said O’Scanlon.
In a statement, ATS said, “Independent research shows drivers resume their dangerous red-light running behavior after red-light safety cameras are removed from a city’s traffic safety network.” Mayor Ras Baraka noted shutting down the cameras will cost Newark millions and force it to reassign police officers.
“It does make the city less safe, it cripples us, because we have to now deal with with police officer’s that’ll have to patrol those kinds of roads as opposed to technology doing it. We would rather have our police officers out solving crimes,” Baraka said.
“That’s a shame. But theft is not sound economic policy, and that’s what this stuff is: government sanctioned theft,” O’Scanlon said.
Even though the sun has set on this RLC pilot program, opponents say they suspect RLC companies will keep lobbying to make the sun rise on a new one.