LAKELAND (FOX 13) -
Love 'em or hate 'em, Lakeland has nine red light cameras, and they city may add more. Officials are considering installing up to 15 additional ones, but it wants to hear what citizens have to say before commissioners vote on the issue.
Both Mike Felch, who has been issued a citation, and his wife, Angela, are against them.
Angela says they are impersonal and thinks that people who run red lights would be more likely to learn from their mistake if an officer gave them a citation. Mike dislikes red light cameras for another reason -- he says they are intrusive.
"At the end of the day, you're basically saying I am going to lose my freedom of going through town at the cost of enforcing something that I don't believe is a problem to begin with," he said.
The city says the cameras have done a good job changing drivers' behavior. The cameras were installed three and a half year ago. City spokesman Kevin Cook says since then, several things have happened. Fewer people are getting citations for running red lights and making illegal right hand turns. He also says the number of crashes have decreased at intersections where the cameras have been placed.
You can voice your opinion about red light cameras at Lakeland City Hall on Monday, February 18. The meeting starts at 9 a.m.
