The 5 – 3 Buffalo Common Council vote on Wednesday that approved legislation to install red light cameras at up to 50 area intersections met with varied reviews from lawmakers.

While Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and Mayor Byron Brown are in favor of the cameras, Councilman Mickey Kearns, based on research , feels that there would be a higher incidence of rear end collisions. If a motorist has to make a call on stopping short or risking a ticket, Kearns’ belief is that there would be more quick stops and a potential for increased accidents at intersections.

We’ve all been there – at an icy intersection, the choice of running a yellow and nipping a red often seems the better option to stepping hard on the break and chancing a slide. Add to that the timing of the lights. Some jurisdictions from around the country have timed their yellows from 5 seconds to 3 along with the installation of red light cameras, and are seeing profits based on the motorists’ faulty judgement of timing.

While this has been touted as a public safety initiative, the individual fines of $50 per is expected to net the city $2.7 million annually. Councilmember Kearns is also concerned that the fines would result in higher insurance rates for the area.

According to the Department of Transportation, yellow lights are generally timed to the speed of the roadway , and with consistency in timing within the city, motorists should have a clearer sense of the duration of the yellow. Councilmember Richard Fontana was particularly wary of the possibility of shortened yellow lights, while Councilmember Joseph Golombek, a sponsor of the initiative said that he would consider it a mistake if installation of the cameras resulted in shortened yellows and increased fines.

Originally part of Governor Paterson’s 2009-10 budget, the proposal could be approved by state lawmakers as early as next week. Hoyt originally proposed red light cameras in 2000, but was unable to garner enough support on the state level at the time.