Dear City Council:
I favor getting rid of the red light cameras in Menlo Park, based on the facts delineated in the front page article in today's
Daily Post. It speaks volumes that the CEO of the firm running the cameras is a felon convicted twice of bribery.
Surely the vast majority of the tickets, are for rolling through a right turn. The $480 penalty (of which our city and state
receive precious little) is the same as if you had blown through a four way intersection on red. The fine for a rolling stop is
about $140. Just one of the many problematic aspects of this setup.
I ask that the council look at other cities to inform its decisions. Surely there are reasons very few Bay Area cities use these
cameras.
I also ask that decisions be informed by what "the data suggest". It might be prudent to monitor accidents and traffic at the
camera intersections, before and after letting the contract lapse.
The website [highwayrobbery dot net] has lots more, if its needed.
CordiallySteve FollmerWillow Rd.
