Council Red Lights Camera Petition

Michelle Barbee pleaded to the Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday, asking the town to reconsider its decision to place red light cameras on local streets.

Barbee and her friend, Shawna Kanarr, gathered 235 signatures from local residents in a petition to keep the cameras off the streets, but that wasn't enough.

The motion to interrupt the negotiations with traffic camera contractors failed. The negotiations could mean cameras would be placed in up to 10 intersections in the area.

Barbee and Kanarr distributed petitions to four local businesses in the area, hoping that the council would reconsider. The businesses that took part in the petition were Lost City Music & Video, Hell nightclub, Johnny T-Shirt and J&J's Deli. The petition states that the cameras are a "threat to our privacy and a threat to our right of being innocent until proven guilty."

Kanarr said the businesses in the area were happy to place petitions in their stores. "We told them what we were doing and asked them if we could put petitions in their stores, and they were supportive of that," she said. The women even created a Web site, http://www.stopthe

cameras.org, to spread the word around town.

Kanarr and Barbee still believe there are other options for the traffic problems around the town. "One of the major alternatives if too many people are running the red lights is extend the yellow light," Kanarr said. Kanarr believes that if the yellow warning light shines longer, it will give drivers additional time to stop.

Council member Bill Strom was open to other alternatives. "I think we should receive additional information before the council proceeds with a signing of a contract," he said. "I know that our yellow light timing is average. It's not long and it's not short."

Also in her statement, Barbee also argued there was no appeals process for the violator to go through. But Town Manager Cal Horton said an appeals process would exist and be overseen by police, along with an independent third party appointed by the council who would serve as the appeals officer.

The appeal process played a significant role in the council's decision to vote for the cameras. "That's a big component in why I supported (the red light negotiations)," council member Flicka Bateman said.

"I would not be in support of a private company coming in here and our citizens having no recourse," Bateman said. "But what made me vote for this was the appeals process and the fact that each one of the infractions would be received by our police before it would be sent to the people."

Council member Pat Evans made sure Monday's debate would not delay the council's previous 6-3 vote, which gave administrators permission to start talks with a contractor. "I look at this as a unique way of derailing a decision that has already been made, and I am not supportive of that," Evans said.

"I don't think it is worthy of delaying the implementation that was decided," she said.

So once again the council voted not to delay the negotiations with the camera contractor. The council did ask to receive a report discussing engineering options to help improve safety at red lights throughout the town.

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