Heads up: New Jersey truckers! The bill to allow red-light cameras to pop up across the state narrowly passed the legislature earlier this week. However, it isn’t too late to contact the governor to ask that he veto the legislation.

The bill – A4314 – would remove current state law that prohibits camera radar. For a period of five years it would allow municipalities to use photo enforcement at traffic signals.

Supporters of photo enforcement say it encourages compliance with the law and saves lives by reducing collisions. But don’t be fooled. A study paid for by the U.S. Department of Transportation showed rear-end crashes actually increased in cities with red-light cameras, as motorists stopped abruptly at yellow lights to avoid tickets.

Not to mention the fact the motivation of every player in this deal is economics. Whether it’s the local jurisdiction or the manufacturer: That’s not reasonable justification for posting these cameras.

Gov. Jon Corzine has until Tuesday, Jan. 15, to decide whether he will sign, veto or “pocket veto” the bill without signing it. You are encouraged to contact the governor’s office and voice your concerns about red-light cameras.

Due to time constraints you might want to start by trying to reach the governor’s office by phone, fax or e-mail. If you call, ask to talk to Constituent Services and register your views with them.

The governor can be reached at:

The Honorable Jon S. Corzine
Statehouse
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625

Phone: (609) 292-6000
Fax: (609) 292-3454

To send e-mail, visit http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html. Scroll down to the topic listing and from the pull-down list select “Transportation/Motor Vehicles.” On the next page, select from the pull-down list the “State Highways and Routes.”

Contacting the governor could do wonders to head off this misguided effort!

Thanks for your support.