Cash-strapped communities across Massachusetts are ramping up pressure on Beacon Hill to legalize traffic surveillance cameras.

Cash-strapped communities across Massachusetts are ramping up pressure on Beacon Hill to legalize traffic surveillance cameras so cities and towns can crack down on red-light scofflaws with automatic tickets amid lean times for police.

“This is just about public safety. It’s a no-brainer. Let’s get it done,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has pushed for red-light cameras since 1993. “Other states have it. Why can’t we do it in Massachusetts? What’s the reluctancy of the Legislature to pass this? This saves lives.”

There’s also been “apprehension” over the technology, said state Rep. Kevin G. Honan (D-Brighton), who has proposed red-light camera bills for 10 years. The push is gaining steam this year, said Honan, who thinks cameras would slow down traffic at Commonwealth Avenue and Babcock Street in Brighton, which he called a “speedway.”

“Pass the darn thing,” said Gerald Lee, a former police chief and president of the Pittsfield City Council, which passed a home-rule petition in January to install red-light cameras. “It’s a public-safety issue. If you have those cameras, their violations are reduced.”
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_0515green_light_wanted_for_red-light_cams/srvc=home&position=1

The bill is: HO2914 sponsored by Kevin Honan
http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H02914

If you have been following Red-Light Camera Legislation in the U.S. It's been defeated in numerous states, don't let MA pass this $$ money making bill disguised as safety. For more information regarding Red Light Legislation read the 100's of articles at: http://www.thenewspaper.com/