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At least 4 killed in Oklahoma tornado outbreak; 10 shot outside Florida bar; AZ receives millions of dollars for solar investments; Maine prepares young people for climate change-related jobs, activism; Feds: Grocery chain profits soared during and after a pandemic.

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Ukraine receives much-needed U.S. aid, though it's just getting started. Protesting college students are up in arms about pro-Israel stances. And, end-of-life care advocates stand up for minors' gender-affirming care in Montana.

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More rural working-age people are dying young compared to their urban counterparts, the internet was a lifesaver for rural students during the pandemic but the connection has been broken for many, and conservationists believe a new rule governing public lands will protect them for future generations.

Report: Traffic Cameras Create Conflict Between Profits and Safety

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011   

ST. LOUIS - Some 700 local governments, including 20 in Missouri, have contracted for red-light and speed cameras in their communities. Companies in that business, such as Redflex and American Traffic Solutions, say their cameras make roads safer.

But a new report from the Missouri Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) says the contracts often put profits ahead of safety. The watchdog group's tax and budget analyst, Phineas Baxandall, says payments to the companies may be based on a percentage of fines collected or the number of tickets written.

"The contracts that the camera companies have really constricted the cities' ability to control their own safety policies. They end up sucking money out of the community, and really being driven by profit and shaping the transportation policy of those cities."

Baxandall says intersections can often be made safer through traffic engineering strategies, such as longer yellow-light phases. But some traffic-camera contracts specifically forbid such actions.

"It has happened in some cities, where the company seems to be fiddling with the red-light timing, yellow-light timing, in order to catch more people, and that shouldn't happen."

He adds that the contracts also create a conflict of interest for cities, and says their primary goals should be driver safety and protecting the public interest.

The report is online at www.mopirg.org




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