Re-published with the permission of Coast Star Newspaper:
Red-light cameras will not be installed, says mayor
Research, public feedback drives decision by council
By Haley Behre
BELMAR — The Borough of Belmar will not be pursuing red-light cameras for Route 35, the mayor recently announced.
After conducting research and taking people’s comments into consideration, the Belmar governing body decided that the town will not pursue the camera request from the Belmar Police Department because it is not feasible to do so, said Mayor Matthew Doherty.
“It seems to make sense to wait to see what the longer prognosis is in other towns [that already have them installed],” Mayor Doherty said.
The cameras take pictures of vehicles running red, or yellow, traffic lights, and, after the footage is reviewed by an officer, a summons can be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle.
This is good news for David Schneck, a political activist from Belmar who has been vocal about the issue.
But the wrong person may have to pay the fine, he added, noting someone other than the registered owner could be driving the vehicle when the infraction is made.
Red-light cameras are touted as decreasing traffic violations, including traffic accidents and running a red light, without having a police officer on duty around the clock.
However, according to Mr. Schneck, who has written extensively about this issue on his blog, commonsenseforbelmar.org, there are many concerns about red-light cameras. These concerns include research from the Texas Transportation Institute stating the cameras actually increase the accident rate at intersections. This is because people decide to slam on their brakes when they see a yellow light, fearing they will get a ticket if they proceed, thus causing them to be rear-ended, he said.
If Belmar had decided to install the cameras, the town would have been the first to do so in Monmouth County.
Brick Township currently has two red light cameras installed at major intersections.
2 Comments
Good Job Dave you successfully kept the Borough of Belmar out of Court where the Borough is not successful.
Thanks, Mike
Post a Comment