Red light cameras now banned in Texas

[Swordsmyth]

Governor Greg Abbott has officially signed legislation banning red light cameras across Texas.
House Bill 1631 prohibits the use of "photographic traffic signal enforcement systems." It was proposed by North Texas Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford).

Even though red light cameras are now banned in the Lone Star State, you may continue to see them in some place for the next few years because the bill allows cities that could be penalized by suddenly breaking a vendor's contract to honor the contract until it expires.

More at: https://www.fox4news.com/news/red-li...anned-in-texas
@TheTexan will be so disappointed.

[UWDude]

Governor Greg Abbott has officially signed legislation banning red light cameras across Texas.
House Bill 1631 prohibits the use of "photographic traffic signal enforcement systems." It was proposed by North Texas Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford).

Even though red light cameras are now banned in the Lone Star State, you may continue to see them in some place for the next few years because the bill allows cities that could be penalized by suddenly breaking a vendor's contract to honor the contract until it expires.

More at: https://www.fox4news.com/news/red-li...anned-in-texas
@TheTexan will be so disappointed.

Uh oh, no more cameras to catch Laura running stop signs. W better watch out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bush

On the night of November 6, 1963, two days after her 17th birthday, Laura Welch ran a stop sign and struck another car, killing its driver.[11][12] The victim was her close friend and classmate Michael Dutton Douglas. By some accounts, Douglas had been Welch's boyfriend at one time, but she stated that he was not her boyfriend at that time but rather a very close friend.[13] Bush and her passenger, both 17, were treated for minor injuries.[14] According to the accident report released by the city of Midland in 2000, in response to an open-records request, she was not charged in the incident.

[Anti Globalist]

I hate red light cameras. I ran a red line a few months back and a camera caught me. If that camera wasn't there I wouldn't have had to pay that ticket.

[Anti Federalist]

About time them Tex-Ass dumbasses did something right.

[spudea]

fantastic news, thanks for sharing. Its so crazy how you just find a ticket in your mailbox one day, and theres no way to dispute it, and if you don't pay they revoke your vehicle registration. Slamming on your brakes instead of easily and safely proceeding through the light is ridiculous and causes more accidents! That and corrupt localities mess with the yellow light duration in order to raise revenues, yikes.

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

90% of my problem with red light cameras was the financial incentive, and how pervasive it was especially with private companies involved. The law should be about the law first, not a means to generate income. Better traffic light handling will prevent a lot of red light crossings. The only way I'd accept red light cameras if there was a cost incentive, less traffic cops = less property tax, but only enforced for the most egregious of red light crossings. I know in my state there's tons of lights that give me not enough time to properly hit the brakes when the light turns yellow. The timing of the yellow light should take into account the time it takes a vehicle to slow down safely at any given position it may be in. I almost got into a car accident once because I hit my brakes so hard my vehicle swerved 90 degrees in the middle of the intersection (road conditions were a bit slippery). The $#@! literally turned yellow then red 50 feet in front of my car in what felt like 2 seconds flat or even less. After that I said no more, and if I didn't have enough time to brake I just went through. I don't understand how the light can be so inconsistent.

Yellow lights should be the same length everywhere. If I drive the same route to work every day I'm used to the length of the yellow lights I'm familiar with, so it's entirely possibly fo rme to drive to another town and say "Oh I got just enough time to get through" then someone blows through a red light, gets a ticket, profit for the town. $#@! that. They'd have to take my driver's license and send me to jail before I'd pay such a bull$#@! ticket. Never had to, fortunately.

[AngryCanadian]

Good those cameras are stupid.

[loveshiscountry]

About time them Tex-Ass dumbasses did something right.

We also legally have brass knuckles. So next time, before you insult the most 'Murican state of all the 'Murican states, do some research.

[TheTexan]

This is a tragic loss for police department revenues across the state.

But I'm confident we'll find some other way to cover this revenue shortfall.

[Danke]

This is a tragic loss for police department revenues across the state.

But I'm confident we'll find some other way to cover this revenue shortfall.

maybe a taco and tequila tax.

[PAF]

@Swordsmyth

Oh, I don’t know... for example, we seemed to have worked local to get rid of the red light cameras.

A truly earth shattering accomplishment, that aught to get us to minarchy or even anarchy within a decade if you keep it up at that pace.

It is a good thing you did but it barely scratches the surface of tyranny and it is easy to get even the most hardened of statists to object to being milked for money personally by red light cameras.

"Setting the Tone" is important, hopefully other states and localities will follow Texas and portions of Ohio's lead knowing that it can be done.

"Earth shattering"? Every step in the right direction is.


Thanks for the thread, Swordy :-)

[Warlord]

Freedom!

[tfurrh]

Even though red light cameras are now banned in the Lone Star State, you may continue to see them in some place for the next few years because the bill allows cities that could be penalized by suddenly breaking a vendor's contract to honor the contract until it expires.

That is the part that seems really off to me. Couldn't you get out of a contract, or wouldn't a contract then become unenforceable, if the contract was over something now banned/prohibited?

[Swordsmyth]

That is the part that seems really off to me. Couldn't you get out of a contract, or wouldn't a contract then become unenforceable, if the contract was over something now banned/prohibited?

Couldn't the companies sue for an ex post facto violation?

[tfurrh]

Couldn't the companies sue for an ex post facto violation?

I'd think the cities could too, but I won't even pretend to know.