Yesterday a group of Bike Pittsburgh members went down to City Council to give testimony on behalf of the Red Light Camera initiative that is being sponsored by Councilman Peduto. There was a cordial, but lively debate amongst the council members, and resulted in a resolution to be passed to have a public hearing on the subject. We were, however, disappointed to see some individual members call for things ranging from much smaller fines ($25 – which would hardly be a disincentive to run red lights) to associating this program with a broader neighborhood surveillance program, which Bike Pittsburgh would never support. These red-light cameras are pointed towards the license plate of cars and take a snap shot of the car that is breaking the law. They are not video surveillance cameras and in no way should this initiative be associated with a something that could infringe on folks’ civil liberties.

Link to the story in the Post-Gazette

If you haven’t done so already, please contact your councilperson and support this initiative. We will update everyone on when and where the public hearing is happening.