Traffic cameras are about money, not safety
I noticed recently what appears to be red-light cameras at the intersection of Highway 51 and Veterans Boulevard and worry about the consequences.
I was a supporter of this technology when it was first introduced many years ago, but frankly, I’m surprised that the cameras are still in use by cities and accepted by citizens after all the scandals associated with them.
First, we know the camera companies and city share in ticket revenues, so both are motivated to tweak things to increase tickets. That means schemes such as shortening yellow lights.
There have been cases of payoffs to political figures by companies to ensure their installation and retention. Plenty of studies show such cameras increase accidents by causing drivers to stop suddenly and get rear-ended.
I know, I know, some studies say the opposite, but it’s always important to look at who is running each study and who is paying for it.
And on a personal point, I’ve received red-light camera tickets months after visiting a city for a right-on-red violation with the option of paying a fine or driving out of town and spending my time in traffic court for something I have no memory of because I’m informed so late after the fact.
How many people just pay the fine without challenging a questionable ticket? It’s a rigged system.
The point is, these cameras are sold as safety devices, but they instead have become sources of revenue with limited safety value and perhaps they even increase danger at intersections.
There is a reason that after decades these devices are so controversial, and to be honest, I don’t think McComb is a place that needs yet another opportunity for corruption.
— Bruce Bridges, McComb
Where things really couldn’t be worse
Folks, here’s something I’d like to share with you.
I know we all have bad days, when things just don’t seem to be going our way. Like when Seth’s and my mobile home burned over 50 years ago, and we didn’t have any insurance on it.
So many of these things we can’t help. They are things we have no control over. But whenever you are having one of those days, think of two words. Just two words — Helene and Milton.
I know we always hear, “Things could be worse.” But I imagine there are plenty of folks in Florida who are probably wondering if this is true, and rightly so after all they’ve been through. I imagine some of them might not consider Florida to be the “fun and sun” place they once did.
There was something in the newspaper that broke my heard. It said the tiny barrier island of Matlacha, just off Fort Myers, got hit by both a tornado and the hurricane storm surge.
Tom Reynolds, 90, spent the morning sweeping four feet of mud and water out of his home, and collecting chunks of aluminum siding torn off by a twister that also picked up a car and tossed it across the road.
If this wasn’t bad enough, there are so very many more like Mr. Reynolds in Florida. But he has two major things in his favor: life and hope. And we all know who provided him with these.
The thing that amazes me is, as horrible as Hurricane Helene was, the people of Florida had another one follow it just two weeks later. Maybe that’s what they mean when they talk about adding insult to injury.
I saw a picture of the baseball stadium in St. Petersburg with its roof completely ripped to shreds by fierce winds. What if this place had been full of people seeking refuge from the storm? You can imagine the catastrophe that would have been.
There are just some things we can’t control. But we know who can. So what do we do? We put our hope and faith and trust in that person.
— Debbie Touchstone, Jayess
