Here’s another one. Senator Ashby has introduced a bill to make it easier for cities to combat red light violations. SB 720 would establish an opt-in red light camera program for local jurisdictions.
Full text of SB270 is here.
It aims to shift the violations from driver liability to owner liability and change it from a criminal penalty to a civil penalty (more like a parking violation). It also reduces the fine down to $100 (or lower if you’re low income).
This might seem to be a weakening of the law governing running a red light, but I think it might actually do better at suppressing the behavior by allowing more ubiquitous automation.
Instead of getting a criminal violation with a huge $500 fine that requires a photo of the driver’s face to be valid, you get a smaller fine that is against the vehicle’s owner, has no requirement that the owner respond in court, and is $100 per violation. Appeals also shift out of the court system and into an administrative hearing. It might work better.
Revenues from this have to be invested back into traffic-calming infrastructure like bike lanes, speed tables, raised crosswalks, and curb extensions.
We’ll see.