red light camera
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State initiative advocate Tim Eyman wants a judge to decide the next step of Redmond’s first-ever, citizen-driven initiative concerning the city’s controversial traffic-enforcement program.
Eyman, a co-sponsor of the initiative, hired an attorney, who filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court earlier today, ordering Redmond’s city clerk to forward the petition she received earlier this month to the county auditor.
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A KOB4 News report reveals that all but $50 supporting a measuer on the Albuquerque ballot came from Redflex, the camera maker who stands to profit if the measure passes. City politicians are defending the company’s actions, while civil rights supporters say the company shouldn’t be taking money from citizens. Retired police sergent Paul Heh asks:
Why do we even have these when we pay police officers to do the same job and your rights aren’t violated?
The fight against red-light cameras still rages, although it’s been pretty quiet lately. However, it’s about to get a lot louder if the petition drive against the cameras gains steam. Â KMBC Channel 9Â reported the petition drive that aims to wipe out Kansas City’s 29 cameras, which since going live in the spring of 2009 have generated $9.7 million for the city in 97,000 tickets ($3.1 million of that has gone to American Traffic Solutions, which has a year left on its contract with the city).
After a judge fined camera maker American Traffic Solutions $10,000 for bringing a frivolous lawsuit aimed at a suppressing voters in Bellingham, some state elected officials are speaking out. State Rep. Christopher Hurst, a former police officer who says the camera revenue has become “crack cocaine” for cities, told the Seattle Times:
Earlier today I blogged about the fight over letting voters take red-light cameras to the ballot in Bellingham, Washington, as well as major votes by officials in Los Angeles and Houston. Now just moments ago from the BanCams Washington State Facebook Page came good news for initiative supporters:
Long-time Washington State initiative activist Tim Eyman has slammed Bellingham officials for signing away the city’s right to defend its voters agains traffic camera operators.
Eyman says the mayor, the city council and the company are “colluding” together to make sure that citizens don’t get a chance to vote on red light cameras. You can listen to the audio here.
The Los Angeles Police Commission voted Tuesday to kill the city’s red light enforcement camera program, unanimously rejecting arguments that the cameras increase safety.
“We stand today to defend the integrity of the election process in America.”
Those were the words of an attorney representing activists leading the fight against red light cameras in Houston, TX - America’s fourth largest city. Last month city voters moved 53% in favor of banning the cameras and they were turned off just over a week later. Now playing the part of sore loser, camera provider American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is suing the city, claiming that voters didn’t have the right to weigh in on the matter.
People around the country have been fighting against speed and red light cameras ever since they started dotting intersections and roadsides in the 1990’s. In many states this policy debate is moving to the ballot, where initiative and referendum rights are able to give voters a voice on an issue that is often decided by unelected law enforcement and highway officials.
A petition to bring red light cameras to a vote in College Station, TX has successfully collected enough signatures to make it on the city ballot. Activist plans to present his petition to the city council in mid-July. Banning red light cameras, which critics claim are merely revenue generators for local governments, has been approved by 3 to 1 margins everywhere it has been voted on.
Volunteers are collecting signatures for a petition to hold a referendum on a new law expanding the use of speed cameras in the state. The first round containing 1/3 of the 53,000 needed signatures must be turned in one week from Sunday. The petition drive leader is optimistic that the effort will succeed.
Duncanville, TX City Council member Paul Ford will kick off a petition drive to remove the city’s eight red light cameras, which he and other residents claim are a revenue trap. Last year the city issued over 44,000 tickets from the cameras. Ford will need 1,300 signatures to put the matter on the November ballot.