Red light cameras: parting is not sweet sorrow

Jenny McHugh

The Signal

WANTNEEDO by Kalan Lyra.

Houstonians voted against red light cameras Nov. 2. Those cameras within Houston city limits were shut down Nov. 15.

Several problems have arisen since 52.82 percent of the voters cast their ballot to shut down the cameras. First, the city still has a contract with American Traffic Solution, Inc., the company that operates the red light cameras, which will not expire until 2014. Second, the city does not have a plan in place to make up the estimated $10 million a year it will lose in revenue from the now defunct camera program.

City officials signed a contract that extended beyond the deadline for red light cameras to be legal without permission of voters to continue the program. City officials also committed police officers’ salaries to be tied to a program with an expiration date. Now officers face potential layoffs or furloughs.

Voters are receiving a guilt-trip for the decision to shut down the red light cameras, but it is the city officials who are at fault for committing the city to a program that did not have the support of its citizens.

In yet another unethical move, city of Houston officials decided that the best defense is a good offense. Because they failed to honor their contract that requires a 120 day termination notice, they are suing ATS to get out of the contract, stating extraordinary circumstances that could not have been predicted.

As soon as city of Houston officials knew Proposition 3 was going to be put on the Nov. 2 ballot, they ethically should have notified ATS about the termination clause – just in case. If the voters chose to keep the cameras, they could have rescinded the notice. Votes can always go either way. So to say the outcome was unpredictable is preposterous.

In all 15 ballot-box contests that have occurred over the years, cameras lost – usually by wide margins. States including Arkansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin adopted statewide laws prohibiting automated enforcement after red light cameras were defeated in elections. The irony is learning the city of Houston is suing to get out of its legal responsibilities to honor a contract when proponents of the red light cameras accuse people against the program of just wanting to get out of their responsibility of paying fines for breaking the law.

The candidates that we the people vote to represent us are not above the laws, they are held to uphold the laws. In fact, they should lead by example and be our role models. City officials need to remember this in the next election. Taxpayers are going to end up paying the cost for this mistake, in monetary losses and police force losses, which is a decrease in coverage of the people’s protection.

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” –Benjamin Franklin