An Alabama legislator is looking to let the public decide whether installing red light cameras is a good idea or not. State Representative David Grimes (R-Montgomery) has failed over the past few years in his attempts to bring photo ticketing to Alabama. His latest approach would add a provision to his legislation requiring a public vote before any program could begin issuing citations.

"It will be up to voters in a city to vote whether they want to use them," Grimes told the Northwest Alabama Times Daily newspaper.

The approach is not without risk for the insurance companies and photo ticket vendors who have backed previous legislative attempts. The insurance industry, which makes money on photo tickets in states where points are assessed, has produced surveys claiming strong public support for such programs. Nevertheless, no photo enforcement program has ever survived a referendum. Last year in Steubenville, Ohio, 76 percent of voters terminated the city's unpopular speed camera program.

[Muscle Shoals Mayor David] Bradford was attending a National League of Cities meeting where speakers talked about red light cameras being sources of revenue. "I'd rather not look at it on the revenue side,'' Bradford said.