Re: Red light cameras: A few pros and cons for drivers to consider (InMotion, Jan. 21)
I agree red light cameras may cause accidents, but for a different reason. The flash of these cameras are very bright and could startle drivers to distraction.
I appreciate the various articles in the InMotion section and for the most part the information is spot on. However, I fear that those who would benefit most by the articles are not reading them.
Perhaps the ideal solution to this topic would be to extend the duration of the yellow light and, even better, program the light to blink progressively faster until it changes to red, so drivers will be better able to gauge their ability to stop or proceed with caution.
One more thing — and perhaps it may make an interesting followup article — is how do the cameras determine when to capture a vehicle’s transgression of the law? How are drivers supposed to dispute a fine? How can a driver argue that perhaps they couldn’t stop in time and prove it?
Red light cameras smack of Big Brother, and I for one don’t like having an arbitrary automated cop abusing my rights.
Bennett Guinn
Victoria
Benefits exist to privately owned power
Much emphasis has been placed on conserving energy in recent years. That’s because building new power plants costs money. If you can avoid incurring capital costs by reducing energy consumption it clearly makes a lot of sense.
However, populations tend to increase over time and new uses for energy are always being found. Energy conservation has clear and definable limits and at some point it becomes necessary to build new power plants.
Some people have tried to make it sound like the public sector has a magic wand that it can wave about to make capital costs vanish from their bottom line. But capital costs have to be accounted for regardless of whether those costs are incurred by the public or the private sector and they have to be reflected in the cost of the energy produced.
I am fully in favour of seeing reasonable steps taken to conserve energy and reduce consumption through greater efficiency. But I am also fully supportive of the private sector taking on some, if not all, of the cost and the financial risk involved in building new power plants.
The only relevant measure should be achieving the best value for taxpayers.
Mike Lockhart
Saanich
