Being Watched

"What I heard during the [legislative] session is that some people were upset about the Big Brother idea of having cameras in use on the highways."

-- Texas Transportation Department spokesman Christopher Lippincott, announcing that the state was postponing plans to launch a pilot project testing the use of cameras to catch speeders. Initially, the state planned to mail warnings to those caught by the cameras.

Cameras are already widely used by local governments in the state to ticket people who run red lights. I heard one report recently that there are 150 intersections in the Metroplex at which cameras have been installed for such a purpose. In addition, cameras are used on tollways, which are ubiquitous in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Drivers who drive through without paying or without having purchased a tolltag are mailed notices demanding payment.