In Portland, Oregon last year the local "investigative" channel did a report
on complaints about Red Light cameras in a local area city and short yellows
which had causeing an increase in traffic citations.
They found that the timing on yellow had been reduced compared to all other
intersections which did not have cameras. The station then filmed cars
entering intersections legally and safely which were getting caught by the
cameras.
Their investigation pointed a finger at the city (un-named in this
narrative) for illegally generating revenue and creating a hazardous
situation. The city said the contractor must have done the deed and they
were innocent of all charges. The TV station found that the installers did
shorten the times because they shared in the revenue. The station made a
point of how this was a very dangerous practice. The city re-regulated the
yellow lights and removed some of the cameras but not all. And then the
city erected prominent signs indicating the intersection was patrolled by
Red Light cameras.
Sometime you can beat "City Hall" with a little help. ~(:>)
Ross
I have heard that the yellow light is a warning that red is coming and also
a method of allowing time for the intersectin to clear before the next
light
change.
One of the problems I see is that if there are 3 or 4 lanes in each
direction, the intersection is very wide and takes a lot of time to get
through.
Each intersection is supposed to be engineered in accordance with Federal
Safety
standards. And, these very wide intersections are supposed to have a
longer
lasting yellow light. They don't always. A friend beat a red light ticket
by proving exactly this point. If you entered the intersection at the very
last touch of green, it was impossible to get through and out of the
intersection cleanly and at a safe speed before the light turned red.
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