Red light camera proposals were rejected in one state and two cities yesterday.

The Virginia House of Delegates defeated an effort to reinstate the controversial red light camera program that the legislature terminated last July. Senator Kenneth Stolle (R-Virginia Beach) had inserted a provision into an unrelated bill to reauthorize statewide photo ticketing and the bill passed the Senate 31-8 last week. The measure died yesterday when House Speaker William J. Howell (R) ruled the amendment was not germane.

In Kentucky, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted 13-2 to direct Mayor Teresa Isaac to drop the idea of installing red light cameras.

Montgomery, Alabama’s city council also voted 5-4 to reject a measure to authorize red light cameras. (see story below)

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As it began exploring the use of red-light cameras Tuesday, the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners heard from a skeptical public concerned about traffic enforcement and “Big Brother” surveillance.

“I feel a human being can make a better judgment call than a camera,” Kansas City resident Lamar Mickens told the board during an evening public forum at which about a dozen persons spoke.

“This is an encroachment on freedom,” said Jim Stoll. “I find the Big Brother syndrome to be very distasteful to me.”

A few speakers favored the cameras to deter what they see as a major cause of auto accidents. But the majority questioned whether the city is trying to protect the public or simply wants to increase revenues through more traffic tickets.

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The Montgomery City Council voted down Mayor Bobby Bright’s proposal to use cameras to monitor red lights on some city streets Tuesday.

Under Bright’s proposal, the cameras would take pictures of a violator’s license plate and the red light at selected intersections in the city. The photograph would be sent to the vehicle’s owner, along with a citation

The mayor said Tuesday he will continue to work to get the proposal passed.

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Recent Sentinel editorials have requested FDOT to allow the city of Orlando to install automatic cameras at the intersection of Kirkman and Conroy roads because “red-light cameras are a proven deterrent.” Many studies have been performed on these devices with mixed results. Some show improvement. Other studies point to increases in other problems such as rear-end crashes. Further research is essential before allowing red-light cameras on the state road system.

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Starting tomorrow, red-light cameras start flashing at two intersections: N. 4th Street and Mount Vernon Avenue and farther north at N. 4th Street and E. 5th Avenue. The intersections will be marked with signs.

The first 30 days will be ticket-free. Columbus police will send warning letters in the mail until April 6.

After that, though, three pictures of a car running a red light stamped with the date and time will be mailed to the vehicle owner with a $95 ticket. Like a parking ticket, it will not add penalty points to the car owner’s driver’s license.

Car owners who don’t pay the ticket will be sent a notice after 30 days, said Assistant Safety Director Barb Seckler. If they still don’t pay after another 30 days, the debt will be turned over to a collection agency.

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