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Red light infractions pose grave safety issue
The Gazette Opinion Staff
Jan. 21, 2010 11:17 pm
I applaud the decision to install red light traffic cameras in Cedar Rapids. I believe they will reduce accidents.
Some people have questioned the motive for the cameras. Consider the following (conservative) numbers. The city of Cedar Rapids has more than 200 stoplights. On average, each light cycles every 43 seconds. I have observed that in approximately one in 20 light cycles, a car enters the intersection on a red light.
For the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., this translates to thousands of red light infractions a day. Regardless of the money collected, this is a big safety issue.
Frank Helsell
Cedar Rapids
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