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Public Comment Opposing Automated Red Light Cameras – Agenda Item for Sept 14 From Arshdeep Chhina <[email protected]>
Date Mon 9/14/2026 1:08 PM
To City Council - Distribution Group <[email protected]> Cc City Clerk - Distribution Group <[email protected]>; Paul Akinjo <[email protected]>; Jennifer Torres - O'Callaghan <[email protected]>; Minnie Diallo <[email protected]> Dear Mayor Akinjo, Vice Mayor Torres-O'Callaghan, and Council Members, My name is Arshdeep Singh, and I am a resident of Lathrop writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed automated red light camera contract on tonight’s September 14, 2026 meeting agenda.
While public safety is a priority for all of us, installing automated enforcement cameras across the five proposed locations—Lathrop Rd & 5th St/Woodfield Dr, Golden Valley Pkwy & Spartan Way, River Islands Pkwy & McKee Blvd, Lathrop Rd & Harlan Rd, and Golden Valley Pkwy & River Islands Pkwy—does not solve the actual traffic friction facing our city daily:
1. School Zone Bottlenecks (Lathrop Rd & 5th St / Woodfield Dr & Golden Valley Pkwy):
Recent traffic pattern changes around Lathrop Elementary and nearby school corridors have created severe drop-off and pick-up bottlenecks. Parents rushing during peak hours block rights-of-way, trapping residents trying to exit neighborhoods like Stanford Crossings. Installing automated cameras at 5th Street/Woodfield Drive or Spartan Way penalizes drivers caught in gridlock rather than providing active traffic control, dedicated officer presence, or re-engineered drop-off zones to manage school traffic.
2. Impending Delays from the Louise Avenue Underpass Construction: With the upcoming construction of the Louise Avenue underpass, traffic congestion will naturally shift onto secondary detour routes like Lathrop Road (at Harlan Road) and River Islands Parkway.
Placing automated enforcement along these primary detour corridors during major construction will only compound driver frustration, encourage sudden braking, and increase the risk of rearend collisions.
3. Pumping Local Dollars to an Outside Vendor While Infrastructure Suffers: According to the staff report, out of $1,170,450 in projected annual citation revenue, $630,000 will be paid directly to a third-party camera vendor. It is frustrating to see over half a million dollars leave our community every year while basic city maintenance—such as repairing deteriorating roads and maintaining neighborhood corridor landscaping—remains neglected.
4. Engineering Solutions First: Before handing driver fines over to a private vendor, the City Council should direct staff to pursue proven engineering improvements at key intersections like River Islands Pkwy & McKee Blvd: extending yellow-light durations, improving signal visibility, and re-timing traffic lights for surge hours.
I urge you to vote NO on the automated red light camera contract tonight and instead invest our local resources into real infrastructure solutions: better traffic engineering, maintaining our existing roads, and targeted police presence in active school zones.
Thank you for your leadership and consideration of Lathrop residents' daily experience on our roads.
Sincerely,
Arshdeep Singh
[email protected]
Lathrop Resident