Back when they first started putting in Red light cameras I thought that I sensed that the length of yellow lights was shorter than in the past.
I contacted my City Councilwoman Angela Hunt who contacted the people in charge of such things who assured me that in Dallas yellow lights conform to a national standard of one second for every ten miles per hour speed limit on the street concerned. I noted that this was often not sufficient time to clear an intersection since intersections come in different sizes which have no relation to the speed limit. I suggested that it would be a good idea to have countdown timers like those downtown on Commerce Street to let you know the time till red long before the light turns yellow on the intersections with cameras if the purpose was indeed to prevent accidents and not just a money maker. I also noted that it was unfair that other cities put up warning signs but I had not seen any in Dallas.
Recently I saw a camera had been installed at the intersection of Beacon and Lindsley. While this is a small intersection back in a neighborhood there was a fatal car hits pedestrian accident last year there so I saw the logic. But what really pleased me was to see not only a "Warning Photo Enforced Red Light" sign, but a big easily visible countdown timer from ten seconds counting down to let you know when the light turns red.
I do not know ,nor care , whether this was the plan all along or if my input spurred action ; but I am pleased with the result and hope to see more of these in the future. If she is responsible for this improvement I say "kudos to Angela Hunt" for following through on another important civic issue.
