ST. PETERSBURG, FL -
Red light cameras that catch people running lights at busy intersections in St. Petersburg, will stay and may expand to other areas. After more than 2 hours of sometimes, heated debate, the city council decided to take no action on the topic.
Mayor Bill Foster wants to add cameras to more intersections, but that idea is not sitting well with council member, Wengay Newton Sr. He thinks the cameras actually cause more accidents rather than prevent them. "I got constituents telling me, I don't make right turns, if I see a yellow, I slam on brakes. And when they do that you got what they call a chain reaction" said Newton.
Others told city council members, the fines collected from red light runners is a revenue producer for the city. But the Mayor disagrees. "The enhanced safety at these intersections has reduced the frequency of crashes, the intensity of crashes, the injuries at crashes caused by red light running."
