The Lafayette City-Parish Council has scheduled public discussion over the SafeLight/SafeSpeed programs during Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled council meeting. Also expected during the discussion is a presentation by Tony Tramel, Lafayette Consolidated Government’s director of traffic/transportation, on the effectiveness of the program in reducing collisions and changing driver behavior — a goal of the program when a previous council debated and ultimately agreed to a contract between LCG and RedFlex, the company that administers the traffic-signal cameras and vans that have generated more than $10.5 million in revenue — $5.7 million for LCG, $4.9 million for RedFlex as of November of last year — through the issuances of speeding and red-light violations.
The programs, however, have not been without their detractors, and other communities and states have had second thoughts on electronic enforcement of traffic laws, moving to dismantle the cameras and return traffic enforcement to police departments.
An ordinance that would have allowed LCG’s contract with RedFlex to expire this summer, effectively ending SafeLight/SafeSpeed, was on last week’s council agenda as an introductory item. However, after District 7 Councilman Don Bertrand, who supports the programs, had the ordinance pulled for discussion and a separate vote, the ordinances sponsors — Councilmen Jared Bellard, Andy Naquin and William Theriot — removed the ordinance from the agenda and instead scheduled tonight’s public discussion.
Bertrand says he believes there is enough support on the council to renew the contract, adding that he’s received nearly a dozen calls from constituents, all in support of SafeLight/SafeSpeed. “They want to make sure we keep the program,” the south Lafayette Republican says. “I haven’t had any negative comments.” Bertrand adds he believes the SafeLight/SafeSpeed “controversy is being contrived.”
Worth noting: SafeLight/SafeSpeed is administered only at intersections and on streets within the city limits of Lafayette, not in the unincorporated parts of the parish or Lafayette Parish’s smaller municipalities. However, two of the three councilmen sponsoring the ordinance to end essentially end the programs represent only a handful of city residents and live outside the city limits of Lafayette.
... written by James Walker , March 27, 2012 - 05:51 pm
Hopefully many residents will attend to oppose speed and red light cameras. These cameras produce profits ONLY when the posted speed limits and yellow light intervals are deliberately set improperly in ways that cause more tickets to be issued and which decrease safety. If main road posted speed limits were set for maximum safety at the 85th percentile speed of free flowing traffic under good conditions, the cameras would lose money and not be used. If the yellow intervals on lights were set for maximum safety by being timed for those actual 85th percentile approach speeds, the cameras would lose money and not be used. Ticket cameras require improper and less safe engineering to produce profits, so safety would be improved by using the correct engineering factors, instead of by using predatory cameras. See the science on both issues on our website and if it makes sense to you - go to the meeting and/or call your council reps to insist that the use of cameras be ended as soon as possible. Also please note that the money to Redflex goes to Arizona leaving the local economy forever, and part of that revenue then goes to Australia, leaving the US economy forever. Is this a smart thing to do in today's economy? Many think no. James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, www.motorists.org, Ann Arbor, MI
... written by chano leal , March 27, 2012 - 09:25 pm
We'll likely learn tonight that Doo Doo Durel gifted Redflex with yet another contract last fall, psst. for the well wishers, use a stop watch and time the duration of the amber light, set your cruise ( If, U dare in this insane area ) and note that you cannot time the greenlight settings as programmed, you could in the past but without reprogramming the lights to a different setting, Redflex and the sharecroppers be on minumum dividends. LOL. BC and I ain't talking religion here, I'm talking Greed ! Its a pie in the sky, a couzan deal, shared by bro-n-laws.
... written by Michael A. Moss , March 27, 2012 - 10:22 pm
Chano, you are so right my-bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not about safety, it's about GR=E=E=E=E=E=E=D. And you can book DAT!!
... written by chano leal , March 28, 2012 - 12:23 am
Oh, I must say, " We have the best Politicians in Lafayette Parish that money can buy. We can beginning the list with Donnie Boy Bertrand, which reminds me isn't that name synonymous with inbred descendant ?
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See the science on both issues on our website and if it makes sense to you - go to the meeting and/or call your council reps to insist that the use of cameras be ended as soon as possible.
Also please note that the money to Redflex goes to Arizona leaving the local economy forever, and part of that revenue then goes to Australia, leaving the US economy forever. Is this a smart thing to do in today's economy? Many think no.
James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, www.motorists.org, Ann Arbor, MI