From the "Timing Is Everything" Department

From Thursday's Chron, in an article on the new red light camera legislation:

Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack said cameras might deter some people from running red lights and improve safety.

"But you want to have compliance without trying to gouge people," Radack said. "It's as if the city of Houston has figured out a way to extract money from people's pockets."

And from Friday's Chronicle:

By the end of the summer, drivers likely will pay 25 cents more each time they pass through a county toll road booth, and fees likely will continue to rise by more than 2 percent annually during the next two decades.

Proposed rate changes would double EZ Tag rates, now $1 per transaction, and cash rates, now $1.25 per transaction, over the next 20 years.

Commissioners Court will vote Tuesday on the proposed increases, which would increase revenues an estimated $65 million over 12 months. Rates will likely go up between late August and mid-September.

Way to extract money from people's pockets, Commissioner Radack!

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 17, 2007 to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles