As most already know, Garland is the home of red light cameras in Texas. The first city to install and use the cameras, they have been the subject of much controversy. Controversy in most cities would mean a fight over whether to even have them, much like what Duncanville is experiencing. That's not the highlight in Garland.
 
In the initial period after installation, a great deal of money was flowing to the city. That money was to be used for public safety expenditures. In 2005, a majority on that Council decided to use the excess funds to buy and maintain a police helicopter. While I acknowledged that I would love for our police department to have such a tool, a very capable and impressive tool, my concern was buying a long-term asset and dedicating one-time monies for the purchase and upkeep. Red light camera fines were not a stable source of financing. I argued that such collections should decline as people took note of the cameras and changed their behavior, exactly what we wanted the cameras to do. I argued that the many in the Legislature hated the cameras and would outlaw them or take much of the fine. Both predictions proved completely accurate.
 
After the voters overhauled the Council in 2006, the helicopter purchase was canceled. Fine collections rapidly dropped to the point that Garland makes no money off the cameras. Motorists have drastically reduced red light running, at the marked intersections and others nearby, a halo effect.
 
There have been several news articles on red light cameras in the last several weeks that compare Garland to other cities. The gist has generally been that cities that installed cameras after Garland are seeing their revenues fall. In most cases, faster than they predicted and faster than they budgeted.
 
Garland has recently moved three of its cameras, mostly to extend that halo of protection farther. The new locations are:
 

 
Why would we say where the cameras are located? The purpose of the cameras is to encourage safe driving practices at all red lights. Some of the worst crashes are caused by someone speeding to beat a red light and t-boning another car. We should want drivers to be aware and safe ... and we do.
 
Drive Safely.

 
UPDATE: Comments closed to block spam hits.
 

1 comment

Comments:

Comment from: Melissa Gonitzke [Visitor]

Man, oh man...that helicopter could have provided swell photo ops.

I was just thinking to myself, "What the GPD 2010 SWAT team calendar needs is helicopters!"

05/11/09 @ 07:29

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