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KC, St. Louis Push To Avoid Traffic Cam Ban

Mayor Mark Funkhouser tells reporters that red light cameras are effective safety devices and should not be banned.
Video frame courtesy of KMBC TV-9.
Mayor Mark Funkhouser tells reporters that red light cameras are effective safety devices and should not be banned.

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-900003.mp3

Kansas City, Mo. – Mayor Mark Funkhouser talked with reporters Wednesday about Kansas City's efforts to save its red light cameras from being banned by an amendment to the transportation bill sponsored by State Senator Jim Lembke.

The mayor told reporters including TV-9's Michael Mahoney that tickets for running red lights have dropped by 58 percent at the 17 intersections with the cameras, and that was the city's intent in installing them. And,Funkhouser said, repeal is unnecessary:
"There are other ways to to... clear up problems with the law. I mean, you know, there are ways to fix it other than banning them outright."

To those who accused the city of installing the traffic cameras for the revenue they would bring in, Funkhouser said that was never the intent, and that since the first of the year the revenue from the cameras has, like the number of tickets they produced, dropped by more than half.

News conference audio courtesy of KMBC TV-9.

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