Arlington

Arlington Council Debates Red Light Cameras

The debate over the future of red light cameras in Arlington has now come to City Hall.

Councilman Robert Rivera has asked his fellow council members to consider removing the controversial devices after recent efforts to step up enforcement of red light tickets fell short.

Because red light tickets are civil penalties, the city has little power to enforce them. Earlier this year, a deal to put vehicle registration holds on anyone who did not pay their fines was rejected by the Tarrant County Tax Assessor / Collector’s Office.

Rivera said because there are no teeth behind the tickets, people don’t take them seriously and often don’t pay them. Out of fairness to all drivers, he believes the city’s 23 red light cameras should come down.

“Moving forward, I believe that slowly but surely the statistical data of individuals paying attention to the cameras will decrease,” said Rivera.

The full council had an informal discussion about Rivera’s proposal during a meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Mayor Robert Cluck and council members Charlie Parker, Sheri Capehart and Kathryn Wilemon quickly expressed their support for the cameras, saying they were less concerned about people not paying their fines and more concerned with how they’ve improved safety.

According to the Arlington Police Department, the number of crashes at intersections with the cameras dropped 32 percent from 2012-2013 (the most recent data available).

Cluck said as far as he’s concerned, that means the cameras are doing their job.

“I know as soon as they come down, those accident rates are going to start increasing,” said Cluck. “I would have a difficult time living with that fact.”

Council members Lana Wolff, Robert Shepard, Jimmy Bennett and Michael Glaspie chose not to speak on the issue during the meeting.

Cluck said this conversation will continue so that everyone gets a chance to weigh in.

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