|
|
<$BlogRSDURL$> Archives
|
Red Light DistrAct. Also on the Calgary Herald Q page.Ever see that old 80's cult classic "Robocop"? Yeah, we live in Robocop town. There are now 36 red light cameras set up around the city. And just like the city folk in Robocop, I'm not sure we're any better off for having them. Here's why: I know how to tell if there's a red light camera, and I know that running one will cost me about $300. I know to slam on my brakes at the first hint of yellow or even off-green. What I don't know is whether the soccer mom on her phone in the five ton Ford Glacier behind me knows the score yet. Is she still living by pre-camera rules and not expecting me to slam on my brakes? Is my Honda Civic about to become a Honda Accordion? I'm all for traffic safety. I know lots of people affected by bad driving. But I'm also for sensible safety. That might mean smarter red light cameras that notice the sheen of rain or frost on the road and lighten up. It might also mean very visible warnings that there's a red light camera so that other drivers know to expect sudden stops from motorists ahead of them. More importantly I think it means real cops in real cop cars really patrolling our roadways and stopping real bad drivers, versus just dinging people in a hurry on a deserted stretch of road at 11 pm. But I'm dreaming. The cameras are here to stay. So here's my warning to all you whalemobile drivers out there with your cell phones and DVD road theatres. I come to sudden stops on camera-patrolled yellow lights. And here's my warning to all the jaywalking pedestrians too, I speed the cop-less streets in between all those damned camera lights to make up for lost time. Posted by Bella at 12:52 PM# 0 Comments:
|
