Staten Island Lawmaker Wants To Fight Red Light Camera 'Traps'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A lawmaker from Staten Island has introduced legislation to fight what he calls red light camera "traps."

The cameras capture images of vehicles entering an intersection when the traffic signal is red, but Assemblyman Ron Castorina said short yellow lights create traps for motorists, solely to generate revenue for municipalities.

"I'm not for red light cameras, I never have been, but where they exist we have to make sure that they're done fairly," Castorina said. "That's not a camera, that's a cash register for the city of New York, it's a cash register for the state of New York."

His legislation would standardize yellow light signals to shine for four seconds throughout New York state.

"Anything less is a trap," Castorina said. "Motorists need some reliability -- how long it's going to take for them to get through the intersection in a safe manner without also having to worry about getting fined."