Why traffic lights should be banned

Best solution is replacing lights with chicanes. More fun for bikers too.



East Tennessee legislators look to curb camera fines

Similar bill in ’10 cleared House, died in Senate

By Tom Humphrey
Knoxville News Sentinel
January 23, 2011

NASHVILLE – As part of a renewed campaign by some legislators to curb what they see as unwarranted ticketing with traffic cameras, Knoxville lawmakers are proposing a repeal of the state law requiring a “full and complete stop” at red lights.

Rep. Ryan Haynes, R-Knoxville, proposed House Bill 64, which would allow motorists to ease through a red light without stopping, as long as they yield the right of way to any cross traffic or pedestrians and do not otherwise “endanger other traffic.” It would apply statewide.

Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, has introduced a similar bill that would apply only in Knox County, though he says he would welcome amendments to Senate Bill 54 from other legislators who want to allow their counties in the roll-through red lights legislation.

Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, has taken another approach, filing House Bill 33, which requires that 95 percent of revenue produced by traffic camera tickets be earmarked “solely for educational needs.” Currently, local governments can use ticket money for anything they want, notably including operation of the cameras.

Law enforcement officials say the current system is working well and enhancing public safety. Although some minor changes in the law may be in order, officials say, the new proposals could cause confusion and perhaps lead to more traffic accidents.

The East Tennessee Republicans’ bills are apparently leading a new major effort to place restrictions on the cameras. Last year, the House spent months debating the issue and ultimately approved a bill placing an array of new restrictions on use of traffic cameras.

But the Senate Transportation Committee killed all traffic camera measures, with Chairman Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, saying panel members wanted to study the matter further with an eye toward action in 2011.

Campfield said traffic cameras are “the sleeper issue of the year,” with growing sentiment among legislators for new restrictions because of constituent discontent with the status quo.

While supportive of Haynes’ bill, Campfield said he believes the chance of passing a bill applying only to Knox County is better. As a representative last year, Campfield drafted an amendment to a bill that reached the House floor that would have allowed rolling through red lights in Knox County. He said all Knox representatives favored the amendment, which wound up failing along with other House proposals.

“I am passionate about this issue,” said Haynes. “There are people receiving tickets when they are not a threat to the public safety at all. … I don’t want to advocate for anybody breaking the law. I am advocating for a change in the law.”

Haynes said he believes that “the overwhelming majority” of citations issued at red-light cameras are for rolling through red lights in a manner that causes no problem as a safety matter. That opinion, he said, is based on some reports on red-light cameras operated by the city of Farragut.

Knoxville Police Department Capt. Gordon Catlett, who oversees Knoxville’s red-light camera program, says Knoxville data are not broken down by number of citations issued to motorists making a right turn, making a left turn or going straight – much less broken down by those who roll through.

But Catlett sees multiple problems with changing the law to allow rolling through a red light.

“What’s your definition of rolling?” he said, contending that the bill does not answer that question and, if enacted, could cause confusion among motorists and lead to more collisions.

State law also currently allows a left turn on red in some situations, he said; if the law applies to right turns, why not left turns or stop signs?

Catlett said Knoxville police already screen videos of motorists to eliminate questionable violations. In 2009, the last year for which statistics are available, he said 38 percent of apparent violations caught by Knoxville cameras – or 51,572 – were rejected by reviewing officers who use “the strictest interpretation” of what is an actual violation.

Maggi McLean Duncan, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, was active in lobbying last session against bills on traffic cameras that police chiefs consider overly restrictive. She said the association’s board will meet next month to decide a position on specific bills for this year.

But Duncan said Ragan’s bill to divert 95 percent of camera revenue to education would effectively eliminate the cameras, because a sizable portion of the money is needed to cover costs of operation. Catlett said the current system has law violators paying the cost while the bill could divert the expense to “law-abiding taxpayers.”

Ragan, beginning his first term as a lawmaker, said his attention to the issue is motivated by constituent concerns, including a belief that the cameras are an infringement on constitutional rights and are not appropriately balanced toward the enhancement of public safety.

His bill does not explicitly address that balance, but does assure that safety is its focus rather than using the devices as a means of government profiting through a “selective tax.”

“If they’re going to generate revenue, it ought to be going to a worthy cause,” he said.

While law enforcement took the lead in supporting traffic cameras last year, joined by city governments, the companies making and operating the cameras also retained lobbyists last year – including LaserCraft Inc., which holds the contract for Knoxville’s cameras.

“Some of these people are going to fight this tooth and nail because they know, once we take care of this right-turn-on-red issue, their revenue is going to drop off significantly,” Haynes said.

Haynes has filed three other bills related to traffic cameras, saying his priority is on the right-turn measure. The others would prohibit use of traffic cameras to catch speeders, allow ticketed motorists to pay either in person or by mail, and require that a commissioned police officer – not just a department employee – review videos to decide whether a citation is appropriate.