It is beginning to look as if these meetings were not meant to be. For the second day in a row, the City of Canton has had to cancel the meetings that were intended for discussion of the new red light cameras and speed cameras. City officials and representatives from Redflex were supposed to discuss the operation of red light cameras, speed cameras and photo radar. In the words of Redflex “debunk the myths” of red light cameras and the trickery that has gone on when they are installed in some cities.
City officials said that they will reschedule the meetings. I hope to attend these meetings so that I can hear what the Redflex employees have to say about their red light camera and speed camera systems. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I know that if the winter is like this next year, the only tickets that will be passed out by Redflex and the City of Canton will be to operators of snowmobiles! We have had plenty of snow so far this year.
The meetings scheduled for January 14th 2009 have been cancelled due to bad weather. These meetings were scheduled for residents to discuss the proposed red light cameras and speed cameras that the City will be installing to catch those who speed and run red lights.
So far, the meetings are still on for January 15th. The Mayor’s office said that today’s meetings will be rescheduled as soon as they have a location to host them.
Representatives of Redflex are expected to be at the meetings tomorrow to answer technical questions about red light cameras, speed cameras, and photo radar.
Hopefully the red light camera meetings are scheduled for time that I can attend. I hope to be there so that I can post information about Canton’s red light cameras on this site.
As I am reading to try to find out more about red light cameras before they arrive in Canton, I came upon a few great stories.
As I said in an earlier post, I think that how the Canton City officials choose to handle the tickets from the red light cameras will decide how the red light cameras are received by the public. In Cleveland, an investigation by WEWS (Channel 5) News revealed that the red light cameras add six million dollars to the annual budget. That is money that is hard to ignore. The same investigation revealed that several intersections saw the accident rate cut in half over a six month period after the cameras were installed. City officials point to those intersections and say “Look how much safer we are keeping you.” City officials refuse to look at and remove the cameras at intersections where the accident rate more than doubled after the cameras were installed. In the end, the accidents city-wide only decrease by four accidents after red light camera installation. This number is insignificant, and has varied by more than that over many six month periods without red light cameras. This drop in accidents, I am sure, had nothing to do with the red light cameras, but Mayor Jackson attributes it to the placement of the red light cameras.
If the red light cameras are there only to improve public safety, not for revenue, then why would the City not remove the red light cameras from the intersections where the accident rate more than doubled? It seems to me that they could be placed at another intersection and possibly decrease accidents there. I think that the reason they are not removed and placed at other intersections is that they are more profitable than other intersections would be. One of them is at I-90 and West Boulevard.
Hopefully Canton City officials will use a little more common sense with their red light and speed cameras. If an intersection has a dramatic rise in accidents from these red light cameras, and their placement is truly about safety, then I hope that they will have the courage to give up a little bit of revenue to remove the red light cameras from the intersection. This is something that several cities have failed to do, proving that they are not using the cameras for public safety.
Area residents will have a chance to ask questions of Canton City officials and representatives from Redflex, the contractor that the City of Canton has chosen to provide the red light and speed cameras.
There are two meetings scheduled for January 14. The first meeting will be at Living Hope Christian Fellowship at 5:00 PM. Living Hope is located at 1620 Clark Ave SW. The second meeting will be at 7:00 PM at Crenshaw Middle School, which is at 2525 9th St NE.
There are two red light camera and speed camera meetings scheduled on January 15th. The first at 5:00 PM at the Edward Coleman Community Center at 1400 Sherrick Rd SE. The second meeting is scheduled for 7:00 PM at the north branch of the Stark County District Library at 189 25th St NW.
The Mayor’s office says that they want the public to know exactly how the red light and speed cameras work so that people can make an informed decision. They say that people will be more receptive to the red light and speed cameras when they know how they work. There are supposed to be representatives from Redflex Traffic Systems at all of the meetings to answer technical questions about the operation of red light cameras and speed cameras.
The Mayor’s office said that they have not had very many calls about the red light cameras and speed cameras. They said less than a dozen people have called to complain or ask for more information. Does that mean that they think people are eager for the red light cameras? I would have never thought to contact the mayor’s office for information.
I am certainly interested in attending one of the scheduled meetings to get more information on the red light cameras. I have been in other cities where the red light and speed cameras were hated, maybe Canton will be different.
If you would like to get more information on Canton’s red light camera and speed camera meetings, you may contact the City of Canton Office of Public Safety at 330-438-4305
Hello and welcome to my new website. This website is dedicated to news and information regarding Canton, Ohio’s new red light and speed cameras. These cameras ignite very strong feelings on both sides. There are studies that “prove” that red light and speed cameras cause a decrease in accidents. There are studies that “prove” that red light cameras increase accidents. I think that the truth is somewhere in between. It seems to me that the studies prove what the group paying for the study wants it to prove.
No matter what your feelings are about the red light cameras and speed cameras, one thing is for sure, these red light and speed cameras make fortune for cash strapped cities. The contractor that Canton, Ohio has entered into an agreement with is Redflex Traffic Systems. The politicians in Canton, Ohio keep saying that the cameras are about safety only, but the money is hard to ignore. These red light cameras in city after city have become a huge revenue stream. There are cities that have been caught shortening the yellow lights at intersections with red light cameras. We will see if Canton, Ohio does the same, or if they take the high road.
Be sure to visit Canton Red Light Cameras again for the latest red light and speed camera news in the Canton area. Leave a comment about your feelings on the cameras. I really have not made up my mind on the cameras. I think that the actions of the politicians and police will determine whether the red light cameras are viewed as a good thing or a bad thing. One thing is for sure, I know that they will bring thousands of new tax dollars to the City of Canton.