“My views on the cameras are simple: It’s about money grab,” Huffines said. “Cities are trying to get hard-earned money from our taxpayers that [cities] don’t really deserve.” Read the full article at Dallas News.
“Organizers of a petition drive to have the cameras shut off in Fort Worth say their effort to gain enough signatures to put the issue on a ballot “fizzled,” but they hope the Texas Legislature will take up the issue next year.” Read the full article at Star Telegram.
“Under Texas law, motorists are supposed to stop for school buses that are picking up or letting off students. Buses are equipped with a mechanical arm that extends a stop sign to warn drivers. In 2011, DCS made a deal with Louisiana-based Force Multiplier to install cameras on the buses to videotape motorists who failed to stop. As with red-light cameras, which have fallen out of favor in many places, the system involved sending violation notices and fine assessments to drivers based on the videos.
Red-light cameras aren’t going anywhere in Denton until the city’s contract with the camera vendor approaches its July 2019 expiration date. […] “It should not be about revenue, and it’s become about revenue,” Ryan said. Read the full article at Denton Record-Chronicle.
In January, a team of grassroots activists began circulating a petition to put a red-light camera ban to a citywide vote. Their task: collect 20,000 petition signatures from Fort Worth registered voters in six months. Read the full article at Empower Texans.
Denton, Texas tested the effect of an extra second of yellow time, and red light camera violations instantly dropped 62 percent. Read the full article at TheNewspaper.com
Cameras have been installed at 11 total intersections throughout the city. Whether their installation has led to increased safety at these intersections is a point of debate, with the city police presenting data showing a reduction in right-angle and rear-end crashes at the camera-monitored intersections. What is clear, though, is the windfall of cash these cameras have generated, with the program now generating close to $2.5 million per year before expenses.
