We've been debating the validity of red light cameras for quite some time now, but if you need some more evidence for or against them, take a look at what my glorious home city has done. Dallas has decided to "idle" (or shut off) a quarter of the 62 red light cameras scattered around the city because they do not generate enough money to pay for themselves thereby leaving non-functional cameras still up and hopefully still deterring red-runners.
The early predictions show that the cameras in Dallas will fall $4.1 million short of the revenue goal of $14.8 million for the 2007-08 fiscal year.
So, does this mean that people aren't running enough red lights to justify these costly purchases? Or does this mean that having the cameras there deters individuals from running red lights? I'm leaning towards the latter but it seems Dallas intends to leave up the non-functional cameras at the busy intersections, so that will shed some light on the matter soon. [DMN]