One of the agents of our oppression as Americans are those danged red light cameras that are popping up everywhere, charging people who “run” red lights after cities tamper with light timing. You might think those cameras save lives, but you’re wrong. There’s no way you can possibly know that. Anyway, Mississippi of all places has passed a law banning them from all state intersections. I can honestly say this is the first time the thought “Maybe I should move to Mississippi” has ever crossed my mind. Maybe they’ve figured out the secret to actual safer intersections. As the techdirt post above says,
Time and time again studies have shown that if cities really wanted to make traffic crossings safer there’s a very simple way to do so: increase the length of the yellow light and make sure there’s a pause before the cross traffic light turns green (this is done in some places, but not in many others).
I live in Irving, TX, a suburb of Dallas. Dallas changed the timing of the lights to make them more dangerous/profitable, and refuses to put any pause before the cross traffic light turns green. When I came here, I noticed that people who are turning left at stop lights don’t pull into the intersection and turn after the light turns yellow, thus clearing the intersection. Why? Because there’s no time in between the red light and cross traffic getting a green. I always knew it was stupid, but now I recognize it as just another way Dallas oppresses its citizens. First Highland Park is allowed to exist, and now this.
Any jobs in Mississippi these days? They hurricane-proof the state yet?
