By Tyler Rourke / For The Herald
With regard to recent discussion of Everett’s proposed red light cameras, I support viewing this topic through a lens of equity, and acknowledge the fact that the fixed fine amount will impact different demographics unequally (“Amid concerns, Everett council puts off traffic camera vote,” The Herald, Jan. 31).
As a portion of personal income or net worth, $150 is certainly more valuable to a person at the low end of our economic spectrum than one occupying a wealthier tier. However, there are quite a few other considerations to take into account with regard to equity. In terms of transportation equity, those with the least number of dollars in their pockets are often our most vulnerable roadway users, and they include children, those with severe medical or mental illnesses, elderly folks and people experiencing homelessness.
Our entire city has been engineered, built and predominantly invested in providing transportation access almost exclusively to those encased in thousands of pounds of steel, glass, and plastic, otherwise known as cars. We must correct this imbalance by investing in safety improvements and redesigning our roads to work safely for everyone, including drivers, pedestrians and all others.
As a person who typically rides a bicycle in Everett, my life has been jeopardized by drivers making poor decisions more times than I can count. If we’re concerned about the cost of a $150 fine, let’s also examine the cost to my immediate family if they were to lose a spouse, parent and primary earner of household income. I would argue that this is not quantifiable, and as such the $150 fine becomes essentially zero by comparison.
Traffic lights work in phases and once, as my light turned green, a car sailed through the intersection in front of me at 40 miles per hour, a full left-turn phase after that driver’s light had turned red (maybe 20 seconds.) This driver was reading a book, and had I simply moved forward at the green light, my chance of survival would have been close to zero (just like that fine amount.) Will these cameras disproportionately burden those who read books? No, they will charge those who make poor choices while operating the incredibly powerful and dangerous machines that we all take for granted and consistently fail to respect.
Other poor choices include driving while intoxicated, driving while distracted or simply driving without regard for the health and safety of others. I see this behavior every day. People looking at their phones, the smell of marijuana emanating from a passing car, impatient drivers taking jaw-dropping risks. Meanwhile, the enforcement of our traffic laws, once again, is close to zero.
If you have an idea that would be a more equitable way to fund and build pedestrian safety improvements than by charging those who put our lives in jeopardy by running red lights, for any number of reasons, I hope you’ll share it. Otherwise, please join me in supporting the implementation of these red-light cameras by contacting your Everett City Council representatives.
Tyler Rourke is an Everett resident and serves as chair of the city’s Transportation Advisory Committee. The views above are his own and not necessarily those of the committee.
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