Traffic cameras should be used to figure out why people are doing what they're doing at a given intersection. A lot of the time they can be used to figure that out, and eliminate the need for them.

Like I feel like the standard for traffic cameras is they should be temporary installations used in an investigation to figure out why so many people speed or run red lights or something. And yep, they do eventually figure out interesting tricks.

This one's dumb, but an observation I noticed lately is lots of intersections will change to all red and then light the pedestrian walk light before they change the car light to green. Why? Probably to lower the amount of people crossing the street getting hit by someone turning right in their car. Neat trick.

> Why? Probably to lower the amount of people crossing the street getting hit by someone turning right in their car. Neat trick.

That is exactly the reason, you can find plenty of studies on it!

And then these studies start producing consistent revenue (>1B a year) and they can't afford to turn them off, whatever the impact on the public.

These things in isolation, to me, can seem minor, but when combined, it feels a little like death by a thousand cuts.

Having a 5 second delay between the crosswalk light and the street light doesn't increase revenue, especially because in America, free right turns are ignored by red light cameras, and the light timing change is purely about preventing accidents for cars taking right turns.

Well, if they find a remedy for why so many people are breaking the law and they aren't breaking the law anymore, the camera can be moved somewhere else. Or, the people who are still getting nailed by the camera are more likely to deserve the ticket.

No actually, the town I went to college in installed cameras at 3 intersections and was able to get rid of them at 2 after figuring out solutions.

And honestly, a LOT of red light runs are stupid silly ones where, for example, the green left turn arrow lights up first! Then the person next to them goes without realizing that straight traffic has a red light. i see that all the time.

The 'dumb' part was me being surprised by it :) I forgot to point that out lol.

As a pedestrian that “walk before green” light is super rad. What I imagine it is targeting is letting pedestrians “win” and get into the street where they are more visible so they don’t get ran over by people making left or right turns into them. If you let the cars light “win” then people will immediately turn right and “cut off” the pedestrian.

Dunno, just a guess. My city started doing this pattern a few years ago and I am very curious about the research backing it up. It does make me feel “safer” crossing streets at busy intersections. But I’d be curious what the actual rationale says about it.

I should add here that the 'dumb' was my observation and being surprised by it. :)

That is specifically something that has happened in certain US cities, not in Australia.