Senate panel signs off on red light warning

If a bill before the Louisiana Senate becomes law, cities or parishes which utilize cameras to catch motorist running red lights will be required to post visible warning signs wherever the inconspicuous cameras are present.
Should the municipalities fail to post a sign, under Senate Bill 357 by Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, no tickets could be issued based on evidence obtained by the red light cameras.
It passed its first hurdle April 7.
The bill, moved out of the Senate Committee on Transportation, Highways, and Public Works to the full Senate floor without objection..
“If red light cameras are in fact for safety purposes, the warning supports that purpose,“ Carter said.
By posting the signs before the intersections, he argued, drivers would have added financial incentive to attempt to beat the caution light. “At the end of the day, the intention is to prevent people from running red lights, not to enhance the city or state’s coffers by collecting fines,”.
Sen. Page Cortez, R- Lafayette, pointed out that in some municipalities, such as Lafayette, there already are warning signs where there are red light cameras.
“There is no hidden agenda to try and do anything else with this (bill),” said Carter. “I’ll reject any amendment that tries to do anything else in the way of damaging the services the cameras provide. I simply want to make it clearer, and safer, for the motorist.”