Photo radar will curb running of red lights

Unlike Kenneth Vercammen, who wrote the letter published in the Nov. 8 issue of the Sentinel, I am not a lawyer. I am though, an Edison resident greatly concerned by the lack of respect shown by many drivers for our most basic traffic laws and regulations. In my observations, it seems that a majority of drivers treat "stop" signs like "yield" signs, not making complete stops. I've also noticed that a majority of drivers fail to come to the required full stop before making a right turn on red. With respect to traffic lights, too many drivers accelerate upon seeing the light turning yellow, often entering the intersection illegally and dangerously after the light has turned red.

I wish that we had a sufficient number of police officers available to enhance the enforcement of traffic laws. But with budgets as they are, most taxpayers wouldn't want their taxes to go up to pay for the additional staffing. In multiple unbiased studies, it has been shown that the use of automated photo radar devices have more than paid for themselves, while reducing incidents of traffic violations along with related injuries and deaths.

With respect to Mr. Vercammen's concern about violating the rights of drivers, I think that his concern is misplaced. The bill that is under consideration would allow for fines of $50 to $150, but will not add points to the license of the vehicle's owner. So, a ticket based upon photo radar would be the equivalent of an expensive parking ticket. Following his reasoning to its logical conclusion would not allow for the issuance of parking tickets since the owner of the vehicle may not have been the one who parked it illegally.

I'd like to thank my assemblymen, Peter Barnes and Patrick Diegnan, for being co-sponsors of bill A-2064.

Reuven Kaswin

Edison