I want to say like a year ago, I began noticing funny
flashing lights going off as I was sitting at a red light on Rt. 22. I soon
determined that my photo was being taken. As it turns out, they installed a
camera at the intersection where Rt. 22 meets Rt. 519 (St. James Ave.). And it really sucks.
Of course, my husband, who is always late for work, has
gotten several tickets for going through that light as it's turning red. Now, I
am certainly not advocating this practice. I myself do not run red lights, I
believe this is a moving violation (!?). My husband has never run a red light
while driving us around. However, he has done this apparently on more than 2
occasions on the way to his job, and frankly it's getting rather expensive.
I myself also was issued a ticket at that light, as a direct
result of the photo-snapping camera catching me in an illegal act. Apparently, I did not come to a full stop
before going right in the turning lane while the light was red. I was mailed a
photo of my car, along with a link that allowed me to view myself being
recorded during the aforementioned offense.
I had read somewhere that they were questioning whether this
practice, of recording/taking photos of people while driving, was actually
legal – maybe because the law hadn't been approved yet at the point that people
in Warren County began receiving tickets as a direct result. However, I believe
they have now passed the law through – so the light stays, the tickets
continue to be issued, and if anyone wants to complain about having gotten a
ticket prior to the law going into effect, they can jump on the class action
lawsuit bandwagon, and receive a whopping $8 for their pain.
Anyway, regardless of how you drive or whether you got a
ticket – Big Brother sucks.