Could 'Photo Red' be Headed Back to Va.?

January 12, 2007 - 5:14am

By LARRY O'DELL
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Legislation restoring the use of cameras to catch red-light runners in several northern Virginia localities and Virginia Beach was sent to the Senate floor Thursday.

The Senate Transportation Committee endorsed a bill by Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Fairfax, that would revive a traffic enforcement program that ended when local pilot projects expired on July 1, 2005.

Similar legislation was killed last year by a subcommittee of the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee. However, Devolites Davis said she feels good about the bill's chances this year because companion legislation in the House has been referred to the Transportation Committee instead of Militia and Police.

She also cited broad support for using cameras on high-occupancy toll lanes, saying some critics of "photo red" now realize it would be disingenuous to use photo monitoring to collect tolls but not to enforce traffic signals.

"The reason I brought it back is that I've heard second hand that there may be a change of heart, given the use of the same technology for HOT lanes," Devolites Davis said in an interview after the Senate committee's 12-2 vote.

The legislation would allow photo-red enforcement in Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church and Virginia Beach and the town of Vienna. At least nine other bills allowing limited or statewide use of photo red have been filed.

The photo-monitoring programs take pictures of cars that run lights at certain busy intersections. The license plate number is used to identify the car's owner, who then gets a ticket in the mail.

Supporters of the technology say it encourages compliance with the law and saves lives by reducing broadside collisions. Critics deride the use of cameras as an invasion of privacy.

By LARRY O'DELL
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Legislation restoring the use of cameras to catch red-light runners in several northern Virginia localities and Virginia Beach was sent to the Senate floor Thursday.

The photo-monitoring programs take pictures of cars that run lights at certain busy intersections. The license plate number is used to identify the car's owner, who then gets a ticket in the mail.

Supporters of the technology say it encourages compliance with the law and saves lives by reducing broadside collisions. Critics deride the use of cameras as an invasion of privacy.

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