Dr. Lee Han, of the College of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, recently spoke to The Oregonian about the inherent flaw of cities relying on revenue generated by red light cameras.
Portland, OR, where the newspaper is based, had run into the red in terms of overall profitability from the cameras before changing the rules to say that money made from the cameras can only go into areas related to traffic safety. The problem, according to the city, was that revenues were being used to prop up other areas in the city’s budget, leaving not enough money behind to maintain the program.
As Dr. Han explained, however, the larger issue is that cities are relying on revenue generated by a system that, by design, is intended to curb or halt the very activity that generates money. Which is to say that the more successful the program is in curbing red light-related incidents, the less money it will generate.
The full story and quotes from Dr. Han can be read at The Oregonian by clicking here