William Tell
02-01-2015, 01:42 PM
Turn off red-light cameras in Texas?http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/59eo5l/picture8871245/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/red%20light%20cameras_3.JPG
The sudden flash as a car runs a red light on many Texas roads sends an unmistakable signal: A ticket will soon be in the mail, courtesy of the red-light camera.
But that flash — and the tickets — could be a thing of the past if state Rep. Jonathan Stickland :) has his way.
Stickland, R-Bedford, has filed a bill to do away with red-light cameras in Texas.
“I’ve been a liberty guy and a privacy guy,” said Stickland, who noted that getting rid of the cameras is a key issue in his district. “There are privacy concerns with the cameras.
“The Constitution tells us we have the right to face our accuser in court,” he said. “How can you face your accuser if it’s a machine? … This is a big issue.”
Red-light cameras have been controversial from the start.
Critics say government is invading privacy and going too far by monitoring movements and raking in cash for cities that use the cameras at high-traffic intersections. Some violators say they weren’t even caught running a red light, just not coming to a full stop before turning right on red.
Supporters say the cameras help uphold the law — and they’re working, reducing accidents and deaths and generating money for cities and states. They say drivers can’t reasonably expect privacy on a public road.
“The evidence shows we have reduced the number of accidents at traffic signals,” said Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan, a longtime supporter of the cameras. “That’s the purpose I insist upon.
“My question to those who oppose red-light cameras: Which laws do you not want us to enforce? It is illegal to run a red light.”
Where’s the money?
Each year, the United States has millions of “intersection-related crashes” that cause deaths and may or may not be linked to red-light runners, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Last year, Texas had 12,224 crashes, and 90 fatalities, when motorists disregarded the “stop-go signal,” according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
That’s up from 10,582 crashes and 85 fatalities in 2013 and 10,233 crashes and 64 fatalities in 2012.
Red-light cameras have been used for decades worldwide to try to stop accidents at busy intersections. Nearly two dozen states in the U.S. allow red-light cameras, and fewer than a dozen specifically restrict their use, according to the governors association.
The cameras have been used in Texas for more than a decade after lawmakers gave the green light to the technology.
Each ticket carries a $75 fine, adding up to millions of dollars statewide. After camera vendors are paid a portion, half the revenue stays in the city where the violation occurred and half goes to the state.
During the last fiscal year, the state collected more than $16.2 million, up from $15.4 million in 2013 and down from $16.6 million in 2012, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The money was earmarked for regional trauma centers in Texas, but lawmakers have authorized that only once, said Christine Mann, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
In 2009, the department sent $13.3 million to 128 Texas facilities, including the JPS Health Network, Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and Harris Methodist Northwest, state records show.
“We have not made a disbursement since then because there was no legislative appropriation,” Mann said.
The money has been accumulating instead, now totaling about $97 million in the state’s regional trauma account, said Chris Bryan, a spokesman for the comptroller’s office.
“The Legislature makes the decision to appropriate money or not,” he said. “They have not made a decision to appropriate in years.”
Tarrant petition
Residents in some cities that use the cameras are petitioning to have them removed.
More than 11,000 Arlington residents signed petitions asking city leaders to shut down the cameras, which bring in about $2.1 million in fines a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&v=igPXVti4v2w&x-yt-ts=1422579428
While officials say the cameras have helped reduce accidents, opponents say rear-end crashes are on the rise at intersections with cameras. And they believe the cameras are just a moneymaker for the city.
“People who think these cameras are in place for our safety need to get a clue,” petition organizer Kelly Canon has said.
Arlington leaders should decide by Feb. 24 whether to put the issue on the May ballot.
Meanwhile, cities using the cameras say that millions of dollars in fines go uncollected each year. They say they can’t do much about that unless county officials agree to prevent motorists from updating their vehicle registrations until they’ve paid their red-light tickets.
Some counties, such as Dallas, are flagging scofflaw accounts and blocking registrations until the fines are paid.
Not Tarrant County.
“That really isn’t our role,” County Judge Glen Whitley said. “We aren’t going to be the enforcer for the city and the state on one of their revenue sources.
“It’s revenue for the city and the state,” he said. “They ought to figure out a way to collect it.”
Last year in Fort Worth, 191,060 tickets were issued and $9.3 million in fines were brought in.
But an estimated 40 percent of red-light tickets aren’t paid. Since they’re civil tickets, cities can’t issue warrants compelling people to pay up.
County officials say they won’t step in because their employees shouldn’t have to take the push-back from local motorists.
“What you end up with is a constituent who is mad at the county,” Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes said.
“There is no upside to the county,” Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron Wright said. “The cities had agreed to cover my cost … but that didn’t pay for the grief my clerks would have had to go through from angry taxpayers who don’t believe there should be any connection at all between red-light-camera fines and vehicle registrations.
“There’s no obligation for me at all to do that.”
Differing opinionsThe Campaign for Liberty has started an online petition (http://www.campaignforliberty.org/petitions/ban-the-red-light-cameras-in-texas/) to encourage Texas lawmakers to ban red-light cameras statewide.
“Politicians in Austin, as well as those in municipalities around the state, are desperate to continue this money-grab on the backs of Texas motorists,” according to the Virginia-based political group founded by former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. “They are raising millions of dollars through the use of these cameras, and other nefarious ‘fees,’ while bilking Texans out of their hard-earned money.”
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article8871248.html#storylink=cpy
Continue: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article8871248.html
The sudden flash as a car runs a red light on many Texas roads sends an unmistakable signal: A ticket will soon be in the mail, courtesy of the red-light camera.
But that flash — and the tickets — could be a thing of the past if state Rep. Jonathan Stickland :) has his way.
Stickland, R-Bedford, has filed a bill to do away with red-light cameras in Texas.
“I’ve been a liberty guy and a privacy guy,” said Stickland, who noted that getting rid of the cameras is a key issue in his district. “There are privacy concerns with the cameras.
“The Constitution tells us we have the right to face our accuser in court,” he said. “How can you face your accuser if it’s a machine? … This is a big issue.”
Red-light cameras have been controversial from the start.
Critics say government is invading privacy and going too far by monitoring movements and raking in cash for cities that use the cameras at high-traffic intersections. Some violators say they weren’t even caught running a red light, just not coming to a full stop before turning right on red.
Supporters say the cameras help uphold the law — and they’re working, reducing accidents and deaths and generating money for cities and states. They say drivers can’t reasonably expect privacy on a public road.
“The evidence shows we have reduced the number of accidents at traffic signals,” said Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan, a longtime supporter of the cameras. “That’s the purpose I insist upon.
“My question to those who oppose red-light cameras: Which laws do you not want us to enforce? It is illegal to run a red light.”
Where’s the money?
Each year, the United States has millions of “intersection-related crashes” that cause deaths and may or may not be linked to red-light runners, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Last year, Texas had 12,224 crashes, and 90 fatalities, when motorists disregarded the “stop-go signal,” according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
That’s up from 10,582 crashes and 85 fatalities in 2013 and 10,233 crashes and 64 fatalities in 2012.
Red-light cameras have been used for decades worldwide to try to stop accidents at busy intersections. Nearly two dozen states in the U.S. allow red-light cameras, and fewer than a dozen specifically restrict their use, according to the governors association.
The cameras have been used in Texas for more than a decade after lawmakers gave the green light to the technology.
Each ticket carries a $75 fine, adding up to millions of dollars statewide. After camera vendors are paid a portion, half the revenue stays in the city where the violation occurred and half goes to the state.
During the last fiscal year, the state collected more than $16.2 million, up from $15.4 million in 2013 and down from $16.6 million in 2012, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
The money was earmarked for regional trauma centers in Texas, but lawmakers have authorized that only once, said Christine Mann, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
In 2009, the department sent $13.3 million to 128 Texas facilities, including the JPS Health Network, Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and Harris Methodist Northwest, state records show.
“We have not made a disbursement since then because there was no legislative appropriation,” Mann said.
The money has been accumulating instead, now totaling about $97 million in the state’s regional trauma account, said Chris Bryan, a spokesman for the comptroller’s office.
“The Legislature makes the decision to appropriate money or not,” he said. “They have not made a decision to appropriate in years.”
Tarrant petition
Residents in some cities that use the cameras are petitioning to have them removed.
More than 11,000 Arlington residents signed petitions asking city leaders to shut down the cameras, which bring in about $2.1 million in fines a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&v=igPXVti4v2w&x-yt-ts=1422579428
While officials say the cameras have helped reduce accidents, opponents say rear-end crashes are on the rise at intersections with cameras. And they believe the cameras are just a moneymaker for the city.
“People who think these cameras are in place for our safety need to get a clue,” petition organizer Kelly Canon has said.
Arlington leaders should decide by Feb. 24 whether to put the issue on the May ballot.
Meanwhile, cities using the cameras say that millions of dollars in fines go uncollected each year. They say they can’t do much about that unless county officials agree to prevent motorists from updating their vehicle registrations until they’ve paid their red-light tickets.
Some counties, such as Dallas, are flagging scofflaw accounts and blocking registrations until the fines are paid.
Not Tarrant County.
“That really isn’t our role,” County Judge Glen Whitley said. “We aren’t going to be the enforcer for the city and the state on one of their revenue sources.
“It’s revenue for the city and the state,” he said. “They ought to figure out a way to collect it.”
Last year in Fort Worth, 191,060 tickets were issued and $9.3 million in fines were brought in.
But an estimated 40 percent of red-light tickets aren’t paid. Since they’re civil tickets, cities can’t issue warrants compelling people to pay up.
County officials say they won’t step in because their employees shouldn’t have to take the push-back from local motorists.
“What you end up with is a constituent who is mad at the county,” Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes said.
“There is no upside to the county,” Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron Wright said. “The cities had agreed to cover my cost … but that didn’t pay for the grief my clerks would have had to go through from angry taxpayers who don’t believe there should be any connection at all between red-light-camera fines and vehicle registrations.
“There’s no obligation for me at all to do that.”
Differing opinionsThe Campaign for Liberty has started an online petition (http://www.campaignforliberty.org/petitions/ban-the-red-light-cameras-in-texas/) to encourage Texas lawmakers to ban red-light cameras statewide.
“Politicians in Austin, as well as those in municipalities around the state, are desperate to continue this money-grab on the backs of Texas motorists,” according to the Virginia-based political group founded by former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. “They are raising millions of dollars through the use of these cameras, and other nefarious ‘fees,’ while bilking Texans out of their hard-earned money.”
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article8871248.html#storylink=cpy
Continue: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article8871248.html