Red Light Camera Bill Dies at the State Level, but LRP Won’t Stop the Fight for the Ban
Funkhouser Defends Red Light Cameras As Ban Proposal Stalls
Tess Koppelman, FOX 4 News Meagan Kelleher, FOX 4 Web Producer
4:58 PM CDT, May 14, 2010
KANSAS CITY – Missouri put the red light on banning red light cameras in the state Friday. It’s the end of the legislative session and since the issue didn’t pass the House, the proposal is dead for now.
The local group opposed to red light cameras is now calling for Mayor Mark Funkhouser to meet with them and talk about their concerns, but the mayor said it’s an issue of public safety.
Gabe Grider with the Liberty Restoration Project says the red light camera system is flawed.
“They don’t actually ticket the person,” Grider said. “They ticket the vehicle, they ticket the owner of the vehicle, whether it’s the driver or not and there’s some legal problems with that especially when there’s multiple names on the vehicle registration.”
Grider said his group has heard complaints about people getting multiple tickets for one violation or turning right on red.
Since the mayor is in support of the cameras, the Liberty Restoration Project wrote a letter, requesting a sit-down with the mayor to go over the concerns.
“The city claims they installed them for safety, but they’re installed for revenue purposes,” Grider said.
Funkhouser says it’s not just about money. In the first quarter, Kansas City has seen 18,000 fewer red light violations and 67 percent fewer accidents involving someone running a red light .
“My own family was hit at 75th and Main where a lady ran through a red light and smashed our car and people were hurt,” Funkhouser said. “This is a safety deal.”
The mayor said he’s open to talking to the Liberty Restoration Project about its ideas like lengthening the timing of yellow lights, but he calls the red light cameras a clear winner.
“There’s a certain sensation of Big Brother and all that, but I think the way to stay out of trouble is to comply with the law,” Funkhouser said.
Liberty Restoration Project has also discussed the possibility of a ballot initiative, saying that any city where the issue has come to a vote of the people has been voted down.
July 24th, 2010 at 6:09 am
These red light cameras are terrible. I get them now for not fully stopping before making a red light. The judge looked at me shrugged his shoulders and said “They changed the constitution”