Stop the Red Light Cameras

By Sean Stillmaker in News on Sep 11, 2010 8:30PM

Taxes and tickets are the only ways the government knows how to generate revenue. Their new favorite ploy on citizens is the red light camera. The Campaign for Liberty is mad as hell and is not going to take it anymore. Via The Expired Meter comes word they’ve organized a protest this Sunday in Oak Lawn from 11a.m.-1:30p.m. at the intersection of 95th St. and Cicero Ave.

Protests like these have been popping up all over the country with the help of such grassroots organizations like Ban the Cams. Recently, the Washington Supreme Court upheld citizen’s rights in Mukilteo city. The red light camera company, American Traffic Solutions, tried preventing the voters from having a say on the implementation of RLCs. An initiative will be put on the Nov. 2 ballot for Mukilteo voters, an unprecedented action against the big brother profit making scheme.

Drivers in Des Plaines are soon going to be dealing with two RLCs. The first will be operational at Golf and Rand road by the end of the month and second will be setup in another six months. One of the best RLCs was in Schaumburg by Woodfield mall. In 75 days the city made over $1 million.

Officials argue RLCs are not a money making scheme, but are there to enhance traffic safety. However, a study by the University of Illinois at Chicago found that accidents in Chicago where RLCs are located increased by 5 percent, while intersections without them decreased.

A good safety enhancement would be to increase the yellow light timing. While the rest of the country has about seven seconds, Chicago has the bare minimum of the Federal regulation of three seconds, government officials did their logic dance around this question, a Fox investigation reported.