Red-light cameras won’t be a secret

Could be my imagination, but it seems Cedar Rapids motorists have stepped up their concentration to stop at red lights.

Then again, maybe I'm just hopeful.

After hashing it over for more than a decade, Cedar Rapids has installed some red-light cameras. They should be operational next week.

It's been a long road.

Back in 1998, frustrated about motorists running stop signs, I sat down with Capt. Tom Erceg, then in charge of the traffic bureau of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. When I suggested red-light cameras, he said, “That's what it's going to come down to.”

Don't get me wrong. I hear the anti-camera letter writers. I'm still leery of “Big Brother” watching us. I'm not sure this is the ideal solution.

But drivers in Cedar Rapids are worse than ever. I don't want to get T-boned while Ramblin'.

And no matter what naysayers think - that this is all about generating up to $750,000 in city revenue - I honestly believe this is a safety issue. I honestly believe officials see it that way, too.

I mean, it's not as if they're setting up a speed trap behind a billboard to catch unsuspecting violators. The red-light cameras are in plain view. Signs at each intersection will clearly tell motorists a camera is watching.

I am reminded of 1979, my first year here, when The Gazette ran a weekly “Speed Watch” notice each Sunday. By quadrant, it identified streets where speed enforcement would take place.

The message was, slow down, we're watching.

In 1991, the police department announced the acquisition of a new laser gun to detect speeders. It made radar detectors of those times obsolete.

Of course, new devices were developed to detect lasers. And, as you'd imagine, today you can buy a red-light-camera detector for about $250.

Why, if you're so inclined, you can visit www.photoenforced.com online to find red-light camera locations in the U.S. The Cedar Rapids cameras are there.

Certainly nobody wants a $100 ticket. To avoid it, you have two basic choices.

One, you can spend a lot of money and effort to outsmart the cameras.

Or, two, you can pay attention to changing lights and obey the law.

Why, if anything upsets me while Ramblin' around Cedar Rapids, it's a light that changes from green to red in front of me, seemingly impeding the flow of traffic. But,

except for the rare intersection (First Avenue East and Collins Road comes to mind), the light doesn't remain red long enough to dial a cell phone. But that's another matter.