Lembke attaches red-light-camera restrictions to transportation bill
JEFFERSON CITY — After his bill banning red-light cameras failed in committee, Sen. Jim Lembke succeeded on the Senate floor Tuesday in amending a bill that would at least restrict the use of the cameras.
Lembke’s amendment would require automated red-light photo cameras to “make a positive identification of the driver of the vehicle.” Most red-light camera systems ticket the owner of the vehicle, even if the owner isn’t driving. Were Lembke’s amendment to become law, tickets would only be issued if a photo of the driver were taken and a positive ID could be made.
“We have got to quit incrementally giving away our rights,” Lembke said. The amendment passed on a voice vote. But shortly after it was attached, the larger transportation bill was laid over on the calendar, meaning it wasn’t voted on Tuesday.
Many municipalities in the St. Louis area use red-light cameras as an enforcement device. Supporters say the cameras reduce serious collisions. Opponents say they are a cash-cow for municipalities.
“This is nothing but highway robbery,” Sen. Delbert Scott said before the vote.
Following your comments on Twitter while this was in debate, then reading this filed story is pretty cool. In my opinion, you’re doing New Media Reporting right!
Frankly, this would’nt be an issue if people would just use common sense and stop racing through yellow lights.
Red light running has less to do with common sense and more to do with people actually paying attention to what they are doing while behind the steering wheel.
Well -
Obviously Sens. Lembke and Scott, both staunch Republican defenders of our civil rights, have never been almost hit by a red light-runner; I have and it was pretty scary.
I have also witnessed a T-bone accident caused by a red light-runner.
Sen. Scott’s home town of Lowry City (pop. 718) may not have much of a red light-runner problem, but urban centers do.
So what is wrong with requiring a picture be taken of the offender? Sounds like commonsense to me. How else would you prove who should be held liable for the offense?
Amen to Thomas F. Maher. I have been struck several times in my long life by runners of red traffic signals - thank Heaven I made it this long with only minor injuries (just not to my cars, three of which have been totaled from such collisions).
This iss a goofy quest by Senator Lembke, who is my kids’ senator. They have taken notice of his silly quest and are strong supporters of the cameras, as I am. And they are encouraging their neighbors and friends to take notice, too, in hopes Senator Lembke will focus his obvious energy and smarts on issues that really matter.
I don’t think I’ve ever agreed with anything Jim Lembke has done in the past, but he gets kudos for this one. Get the red light runners– but arrest the perp, not the owner of the car based on a license plate.
I suppose you folks who think it is OK to ticket the vehicle, not the person, wouldn’t have a problem if someone else committed a crime in your yard, and you were arrested because you owned the property.
Why not take a picture of the driver’s face? Keep the cameras if you can’t live without them.Just do it right and stop half-assing it. Assess points and take away peoples’ licenses for running red lights. Let’s keep it honest. That’s all Lembke wants to do.
Sen. Delbert Scott makes me laugh. Politicians like him while working in a group of other politicians commit highway robbery everyday on taxpayers.
Sen. Lembke is a joke. Last week he’s telling SLPS how they should proceed selling empty school buildings - all of them OUTSIDE his district. Now he’s all things red light camera.
Hey Senator, IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID!
Taking pictures of the drivers opens a while new set of concerns, including the possibility of racial, ethnic, age and gender discrimination in enforcement. Better to base the decision only on the license plate. An owner of a vehicle has a responsibility for the use of that vehicle.
Oh Sally D- here we go with the race again. If the photo is taken of th eperson driving the car, ticket is issued, the car ran the red light– how can it be a race thing??