Comments on: Pier, red-light cameras separate St. Pete City Council candidates at debate

By: James C. Walker

James C. Walker — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 05:53:04 +0000

If the yellow intervals were set long enough for the ACTUAL approach speeds of 85% of the vehicles (as required before July 2011) and if no ticket were given to safe right on red turns, the cameras would go bankrupt. They could not possibly even cover their own $4,000 to $5,000 per month per camera costs if the traffic engineering parameters were set for maximum safety.

Red light cameras are a for-profit money-grab scam that requires deliberately improper engineering and/or the malicious ticketing of safe drivers just to cover the camera costs.

St. Petersburg residents who care about fairness and safety need to contact all the city council members to demand an end to all the red light camera programs.

James C. Walker, Life Member-National Motorists Association

By: Paul Henry, Liberty First Network

Paul Henry, Liberty First Network — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 05:15:23 +0000

“He said city traffic reports show the number of repeat offenders of red light camera violations is small and the most dangerous crashes, t-bone collisions, are also decreasing.”

What data would that be? I’m not aware of any city in Florida that has posted the NUMBER of red light violation (RLV) crashes before and after the use of automated for-profit law enforcement. A “t-bone” crash is not necessarily caused by a RLV, and in fact is more often caused by failing to yield.

Mr. Kennedy should also realize that for the 38 crashes the city gave me that were caused by a red light violation for their 4 year period of time, after the use of automated for-profit law enforcement there was NO CHANGE in the number of them (10 before and 10 after for the same period of time and when the prior 3 years were averaged a 7% INCREASE). Of course, this was spun by the city’s transportation director as a 60% reduction in red light “related” crashes.

By: Bill Heyen

Bill Heyen — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:30:52 +0000

Seems like the differences on those issues, including the pier, are good enough for me to know where to vote. Yes for Nurse and Lorraine.

By: ChrisSpencerFL

ChrisSpencerFL — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 13:10:42 +0000

@SaintPetersblog The correct stance on red light cameras should be “bleed them out in a war of attrition”. Which candidate has that stance?