No More Red Light Cameras? Here's What St. Pete's Saying

Since we told you last week about a bill under consideration by the Florida House of Representatives that would strike down the use of red light cameras, Patch readers have had plenty to say on the topic.

Our story, Red Light Cameras: Should They Stay or Go?, received more than 120 comments as of Tuesday night. Here's what some St. Pete Patch readers had to say:

Les B.: "We have them everywhere in Toronto. Most people don't pay attention to them & yes, they get ticketed. I agree with them. People see a yellow light & they automatically think they have to speed to get through the light when instead they are suppose to proceed with caution or stop."

Rider: "The cost of getting a ticket when you run a red light that doesn't have a red light camera is more....and points are added to your driving record that stay put for 3 years and cost you hundreds of dollars more with increased insurance rates. An appeal process is in place for red light camera intersection situations, you can go to court and fight it. The problem is the yellow light times and they should be standardized so people can anticipate how long they have to stop or go through the interesection. This is what needs fixing immediately. I have been hit by a driver who ran a red light and only sustained slight injuries, thankfully." 

Jerry Kendall: "Why we are even debating this is beyond me. Plenty of facts about the poor results from these things have long been available. Even cities as broke and big brother oriented (those two things seem to go together don't they) as LA have tried them and removed them. Get them out of our city."

Dorine Houston: "I think the best way to protect pedestrians as well as drivers coming from the perpendicular direction is to combine these cameras with setting traffic lights to turn green at intervals that are set to the desired speed limit in a given street. This works very, very well in Philadelphia and has done for a very long time."

Do you agree? Should red light cameras be banned in Florida? Why or why not? Share your thoughts in the comments section below to continue the conversation.