The city of San Diego shut-off its red-light camera program last Friday after the contract with the private firm that operates them expired. There were 21 red-light cameras at major intersections around San Diego.
“Seems to me that such a program can only be justified if there are demonstrable facts that prove that they raise the safety awareness and decrease accidents in our city,” Mayor Bob Filner said at a news conference. “The data, in fact, does not really prove that.”
Filner says the fine, which is close to $500, “breeds cynicism and disrespect for the law because people think they’re being ripped off.”
University of California, San Diego human biology and international studies senior Priya Chakrabarti was making a right turn on a red light when the camera light flashed.
“Is it really safer to stop all the way behind those lines if that means you can’t get a full view of oncoming traffic?” Chakrabarti said.
She never received a ticket and said that she was worried for months because she thought it may have gotten lost in the mail and that could have turned into an even larger fine if she didn’t pay the ticket on time.
The fine revenue barely makes it back to the city of San Diego; 70 percent of the fine proceeds goes to the state of California, while the remainder has to be shared with the vendor.
In the last fiscal year, the city collected $1.9 million in revenue. However, the mayor indicated the program cost nearly as much. In addition, four full-time police officers were needed to review the photographs to make sure the driver’s face and vehicle’s license plate were clearly visible. Filner said those officers would be better utilized patrolling the streets.
However, some student drivers are not in full agreement. Although the cameras are at times confusing and daunting, some do find them beneficial.
“I think they did help to stop people from running red lights though,” English sophomore Sam Miller said. “Usually, when I’m in the car with someone and they aren’t sure to gun it on a yellow or slow down, they tend to be more likely to take a risk if there’s no camera.”
Child and family development sophomore Kiana Caton said the light setup was confusing because sometimes she didn’t know what would make the camera flash.
“While sometimes they seem to be a bit of a nuisance, I think that overall, traffic cameras are a good resource to keep drivers mindful of how they navigate through traffic,” Caton said.
It’s too early to tell whether the end of the program will help or hurt San Diego; but for now, red-light cameras are a thing of the past.
