Beaumont Lawmaker Wants To Pull Plug On Red Light Cameras

An Inland Empire lawmaker wants to pull the plug on red light cameras.

Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Beaumont, on Thursday introduced AB 1008, which would prohibit the installation of red light traffic cameras beginning next year and require studies for cities to justify existing ones.

“People don’t trust government, and red light cameras aren’t helping,” Cook said. “I think folks feel like they’re being sold a bill of goods. The fines keep going up, and there’s no clear evidence that they reduce the number of accidents or lead to greater public safety. Governments need to prove that they work.”

Fines can range as high as $450, the assemblyman said, referring to the red light cameras as a simple means for cities to generate income.

Under the proposed legislation, starting Jan. 1, 2012, cities would be barred from putting in new cameras. Intersections where the systems are in operation would have to undergo studies to determine whether red light cameras have been a sufficient deterrent to reduce the number of accidents triggered by motorists disobeying traffic signals, according to Cook.

He referred to a 2010 audit of the city of Los Angeles’ red light cameras, which cast doubt on their effectiveness.