DALLAS - Dallas has turned off about 15 red-light cameras used to monitor busy intersections. The city said the cameras are failing to generate enough red-light-running fines to justify their costs.

Dallas lawmakers originally estimated a gross yearly revenue of about $15 million for the system. The city is about $4 million below that estimate.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23647272

“A report last year, funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the Virginia Department of Transportation, said that “cameras were associated with an increase in total crashes.”…
Crashes were up in Stockton, California, too, from an average of 14 per year before to more than 20 per year in the 2004–6 period, after red-light cameras were installed. Same story in Seattle, where crashes rose from 4.94 per intersection before to 5.25 after cameras were installed at four intersections….

If red-light cameras don’t reduce violations, what does? The length of the yellow light is the most important factor, says the Texas Transportation Institute, which studied 181 intersection approaches over three years. Adding one second to the Institute of Transportation Engineers formula cut violations by 53 percent. Conversely, shortening the ITE time by one second hiked violations by 110 percent.

This dovetails neatly with a report by the California state auditor that studied camera results in eight of that state’s cities. Overall, 77 percent of the violations occur in the first second of the red. ”
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/columns/c_d_columns/robot_revenuing_shots_were_fired_column

A recent study by the University of South Florida Public Health agrees that the cameras actually cause accidents.
http://hsc.usf.edu/publichealth/fphr/index.htm

It’s all about the MONEY!

Short yellow light times at intersections have been shown to increase the number of traffic violations and accidents. Conversely, increasing the yellow light duration can dramatically reduce red-light violations at an intersection.

Some local governments have ignored the safety benefit of increasing the yellow light time and decided to install red-light cameras, shorten the yellow light duration, and collect the profits instead.

Here are some of the cities that have been caught with short yellow light times over the past few years:
http://www.motorists.org/blog/red-light-cameras/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/

Cities at the link.

The violation of state law “running a red light” will not be reported to the IDOT and will not be reported to insurance companys. How does this make our streets safer?

While my daughter was away at college in the Quad Cities, she was driving a car registered to me. Her boyfriend was driving my car and was caught by one of these cameras on 2 occasions. Who got the fines in the mail 130 miles away? I did! Did i commit the offense? NO
The city makes appealing the ticket more expensive than the ticket itself. But it’s not about the money, it’s about safety. Yea right!

This law does nothing to penalize the offender.

Other cities using this technology have decreased the amount of time for the yellow light to increase revenues. How does this make our streets safer?

There is currently a class action lawsuit in Davenport Iowa being heard by the Iowa supreme court on this very issue. The city will be out millions of dollars once the court rules this law illegal.

Your story states: “Does Syverson have a problem with nabbing and fining drivers who run red lights?”

Obviously, the truth is not what Chuck is trying to relay to the citizens of Rockford!

Try reporting the truth instead of spreading misinformation and lies Mr. Sweeny.