[abaucom21]

Here in Canada's capital city I see more and more traffic light camera's being installed. Read that in North America more cities are subcontracting out these camera's. Not sure if it an urban myth or not that when the camera's are installed the timing of the yellow light is reduced. Money grab possible?

This is not an attempt to excuse myself for running a red light. I admit my fault even it was a slight error of judgement. I understand consequences of even rolling through a stop sign. 1967, a drunk ran a stop sign, killed both his passenger and my best friend driving her new 1967 Camaro when we T-boned at 55 mph. Took 45 mins. to cut me out of the back seat.

I have traveled the same city street to work for ten years and recently at one intersection camera's newly installed. Speed limit about 40 mph, I crest the top of an incline and in front and below is the traffic light. More then 45 years driving and never received a ticket but I got nailed last month as I ran the light by 1.01 seconds (color pictures of my Camaro that came with the ticket looked good as the car was newly washed). Agree, my fault, mailed in the $375 fine, no points. I am sure the car behind me also got a ticket as well. Looking at the camera pic's pretty sure if I slammed on the breaks I would have been rear ended and neither of us was speeding. Before the camera's were installed at this intersection never had a problem coming to a safe stop or proceeding through a yellow light at legal speed.

Just by chance today I stopped at a store beside the intersection. I timed the yellow light and it was only yellow for 8 seconds. Remember this is a 40 mph zone and intersection light only visible once you get to the top of a small hill. Now every time I approach this intersection, moving with the flow of traffic, I tense up ready to slam on the breaks. Over the decades been rear ended three times, seriously injured once.

Would like to see installed at intersections with Camera's one of those digital readouts that we see at some city pedestrian crosswalks that count down the seconds to give advance notice before the light changes. If the purpose of stop light intersection camera's is to reduce accidents, how about giving more of a timed warning to drivers like we give to pedestrians at crosswalks.

Your opinions: Fact or myth at intersections with camera's, yellow light time reduced as a money grab to gain increased revenue.

Side note: The system is so very automated sending out camera red light tickets that I received my ticket with two color photos of my Camaro in the mail. However, I was required to fill out the enclosed form with my credit card info to pay the $375, no return envelop. Heck I am an old fart but seriously thought I was transported back to 1995. Had to dig around my closets to even find a blank envelop, asked co-workers the cost of a postage stamp to send to an address 10 mins. away, none of my co-workers knew the current price of a postage stamp. Co-workers went through their desk drawers, in total about 6 stamps found, all stamps pretty with different pictures, none indicated cost of stamp. I went to the Canada post website. 15 min. search, could not find the pictures of the stamps, could not even find cost of postage to mail a letter locally. So I licked, and stamped my envelop with all six stamps. However, I now have an estimate to mail one small envelop to Bangladesh after reviewing the Canada Post website. Ottawa, Canada's capitol city, and I can not pay a traffic fine on-line.

I got more pissed off on the process to pay the fine with snail mail then getting nailed for running a traffic light by 1.01 seconds with an 8 second yellow light in a 40 mph zone. If I post in the future I get deported from Canada (I am a US expat) and / or arrested, Camaro confiscated, might be because when I snail mailed my red light fine, my old 1995 envelop did not have enough postage to be delivered locally 10 mins. from my home (LOL).

Sorry for rant. I now feel better.