Ohio traffic camera bill opponent caught by one

Bill Seitz got a ticket in 2010 from red-light camera

State Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, the man behind the effort to get rid of red light cameras in Ohio, has first-hand experience with the cameras that motorists love to hate.

A traffic camera video released by the Columbus Department of Public Safety shows Seitz’s silver sedan tapping the brakes and then rolling through a right-on-red at Town and Fourth streets in downtown Columbus. A city spokeswoman said Seitz was issued a citation for the 2010 incident.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Seitz remarked that more than 40 percent of Columbus’ traffic camera revenue comes from tickets issued to motorists who turn right-on-red where it is permitted.

“The all seeing eye of big brother in the camera determines with NFL instant replay accuracy that you did not come to a full and complete stop. And therefore here is your $100 ticket for having violated our ordinance,” Seitz said.

Seitz is among hundreds of thousands of Ohio drivers who have been ticketed via the cameras.

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