Pa. lawmaker signals yellow light on traffic camera expansion

Pennsylvania could find a new source of revenue in a system already working successfully in Philadelphia.

Red-light cameras have been in Philadelphia since 2005, generating more than $28 million in fines through June of this year.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission suggests installing the cameras statewide.

State Rep. Mike McGeehan of Philadelphia, who pushed for the cameras to increase safety on dangerous roadways such as the Roosevelt Boulevard, said they shouldn’t be expanded just as a way of generating revenue.

“I think that’s obnoxious. That flies in the face of the real intent of what red-light cameras are and I would not be supportive of that,” McGeehan said.

At the same time, McGeehan said he wouldn’t rule out an expansion of the red light program beyond Philadelphia.

“If, in fact, a city, a town or a borough can demonstrate there is a verifiable problem of speeding or other safety concerns, I think we have to look at it,” he said. “It’s certainly a tool that we can’t rule out.”

 

 

 

What do you think of red-light cameras as a revenue source? Do you think they should be used more for safety? How effective do you think the program works in Philadelphia? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.