Opposes Lower Merion Red-Light Cameras

Dear Editor:

Lower Merion’s red-light cameras will be utterly despised by most of the township’s residents and visitors. The public has become aware that almost all tickets given by red light cameras go to safe drivers who endangered no one, and the only real results are monetary.

Simply adding one second to the yellow intervals on the township’s traffic lights would be almost certain to immediately reduce the violation rates by significantly more than 6 to 12 months of using the cameras can achieve.

But you will likely find that PennDOT will refuse to allow Lower Merion to make that simple adjustment to improve safety by more than the cameras can achieve. WHY will they likely refuse? Because Automated Red Light Enforcement (ARLE) programs are for-profit ways for PennDOT to accumulate funds they can pass out to communities they favor. PennDOT gains power and influence in relationship to their total budgets, and the ARLE program increases their total budget revenue to give them more power and influence.

But if the yellow intervals are lengthened by one second to reduce the violation rates by at least 60%  to 90%, then ARLE cameras would issue too few tickets for the total fines to pay the $4,000 to $5,000 per month per camera costs and the program would lose money. Without profits, PennDOT and the for-profit camera companies will shut down the cameras.

Involving for-profit camera companies in any part of traffic enforcement guarantees that the real focus will be profits, not safety.

Tom McCarey
Berwyn, PA 19312