Automatic traffic cameras are a relatively recent addition to the Austin landscape. I think they came in about the same time as the high rise condos downtown, but that’s probably just coincidence. I started noticing them a few years ago at busy intersections. You can consider it a call from reality, that Austin is slowly becoming a big city. Or you can reason that the poor economic times have forced the city to reach for funds in new ways, like the new solar parking meters. (I love the fact that they’re solar, and that they take credit cards, but I resent the fact that they installed them in many spots that didn’t have meters before.)
In any event, the Texas Tribune did a bang-up job reporting on where the cameras are, which ones generated the most revenue, and the amount of accidents at each spot. AND they put it on a map. I’d be curious to know how readers feel about the use of unmanned cameras to generate traffic fines- drop us a comment if you have a minute.