Councilmember Licata wants more speed traps to boost revenue

According to this Seattle Times article, Seattle Councilmember Nick Licata wants to increase use of automated "speed vans" and red-light cameras to increase revenue from traffic tickets.

Traffic control devices or enforcement practices should be about promoting safety, not increasing revenue. Available data indicates that short yellow lights contribute to red light violations, and that traffic safety increases by simply increasing the timing of yellow lights. Of course if revenue enhancement, rather than safety, is your goal, short yellow lights are what you want. Which is why several cities were caught shortening yellow light times just to raise ticket revenue.

This article in The Atlantic, argues that America would do better to follow the British system, which is generally safer than ours, relying less on extensive signals and regulations, and more on driver attention, caution and judgment. The reason is that drivers can pay attention to only so much:

Economists and ecologists sometimes speak of the "tragedy of the commons"--the way rational individual actions can collectively reduce the common good when resources are limited. . . . But what is the limited resource, the commons, in the case of driving? It's attention. Attending to a sign competes with attending to the road. The more you look for signs, for police, and at your speedometer, the less attentive you will be to traffic conditions.