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This is the one you probably believed the most, wasn’t it? Yeah, we were counting on you to buy this for our April Fools series.
On Thursday, April 1st, a bill which would add traffic cameras to every major intersection in Orleans Parish will head to the New Orleans City Council for approval.
The bill, which would go into effect on June 1st, would create more than 300 “red-light camera zones” aimed at ticketing drivers for speeding and running red lights.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to not only increase the tax revenue for the city, but also to create a safer environment for our children and reduce the amount of deaths that plague this great city,” said City Council at-large member Stacy Head.
The bill comes amidst reports that traffic cameras actually lead to an increased likelihood of accidents.
“Currently, we only have traffic cameras in specific low-speed zones and near schools. But our latest traffic study proves that people in fact go through red lights all over town.”
The bill isn’t without its share of controversy. Many residents are already upset at the number of traffic cameras around the city. According to Head, the bill would increase the 52 cameras currently in place to more than 300 around the city.
The largest share of these would be in the CBD, where traffic light intersections are at virtually every corner. In addition, traffic lights would be added to areas of the Claiborne corridor and sections of the i-10 overpass.
New Orleans installed the first red light camera in 2008. Since then, the city has increased that number to 52. If the proposed bill passed, it would give New Orleans the most traffic cameras in the country.
Check out more from our April’s Fool series and tell us what you would have done if this were true in our comments section!
