Sunday was a tragic day for a family which had lost a loved one at the intersection of Highway 90 and Woodbine Rd. That tragedy extended beyond the immediate family of Angela Long. Her co-workers were affected, as were friends, and those who met her as an employee at Chet’s Seafood in Pace. Long was not the first person to be involved in an accident of this magnitude at this particular intersection. Many feel this is one of the most dangerous intersections in the north end of the county and, we think, it’s time for something to be done. Milton took a risk just over a year ago when it opted to establish up five traffic light cameras. The action was far from popular, but the cameras have proved effective. First, there are not as many traffic tie-ups at these intersections as there once were. Next, the accidents that have occurred at these locations have not tended to be as severe. So Chief Greg Brand and the City have made the streets a bit safer and they did so at a minimal cost. And so, perhaps it’s time to extend this concept to some of the county’s most troubled locations. Before you scoff at the idea of traffic light cameras at intersections like Woodbine and 90, East Spencerfield Road and 90, as well as select intersections along the Highway 98 corridor, consider a few facts: • Most of the accidents at these intersections have been caused by someone trying to move along a little quicker by pushing their luck with a red light. • The cameras serve as a strong deterrent since most of us do not want to fork over roughly $180 if we’re caught running the light. • It will force the county to make sure these and other traffic lights along these two main corridors are set correctly. Remember, Milton made an adjustment to the length of the yellow light at these three intersection. This one action led to a significantly lower number of people actually running the light. Are the red lights a problem? Are they an inconvenience? Are they a nuisance? We can emphatically answer yes to all these questions … especially if we are the ones running the lights. Before you grab your pen and paper or fire up the Internet to tell us how wrong we are about this idea think about Angela Long's family. Do you want to be in their shoes? Laws and rules serve all law-abiding citizens not as punishment, but a deterrent. When will our county commissioners look and say enough is enough? Okay, that’s how we feel. Now you can grab your pens and paper and fire up the Internet. Tell us how you feel about this issue.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Commissioners, it's time for cameras