For Publication
 
Dear Editor:
 
I was surprised to read that the City of Menlo Park is considering the
installation of automated red light cameras, for two reasons. First,
having lived in Menlo Park for several years, red light running simply
isn't a problem here. Indeed, drivers who refuse to move when the light
turns green are more of a traffic problem. There just aren't many
intersections in our town that have the volume of trafffic, or allow a
driver to build up enough speed, to make red light running a problem.
Second, red light cameras just don't reduce the amount of auto
accidents. Studies such as performed by newspapers (Washington Post,
"D.C. Red-Light Cameras Fail to Reduce Accidents," October 4, 2005,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/03/AR200510
0301844.html
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/03/AR20051
00301844.html> ) and academics ("A Detailed Investigation of Crash Risk
Reduction Resulting From Red Light Cameras in Small Urban Areas, Mark L.
Burkey and Kofi Obeng, Urban Transit Institute,
http://www.ncat.edu/~traninst/Burkey%20Obeng%20Final%20Report%202002.pdf
<http://www.ncat.edu/~traninst/Burkey%20Obeng%20Final%20Report%202002.pd
f> ) show that accidents increase, rather than decrease, after red light
cameras are installed. That means that the city of Menlo Park will be
financially liable for those accidents - a liability that may well
exceed any revenue that may be obtained from them. Red light cameras
are a bad solution to a problem that the city doesn't even have.
 
Brian Schar
Laurel Avenue, Menlo Park
Received on Mon May 8 19:51:03 2006