To the editor:

In the movie “Roxanne,” C.D. Bales buys a newspaper and the headlines unnerve him so badly he pays to return the paper to the stand. The headline probably read that his town was considering red-light cameras.

Nothing could be more insulting to Lawrence drivers than to have their city officials mismanage traffic so badly that infractions are so frequent they must now be automated.

Cities with traffic cameras historically experience a windfall in traffic violation revenue once they are allowed to capitalize on their own traffic jams, poorly timed lights, lack of through streets and the erratic traffic control devices caused by vociferous homeowners who purchase a home and expect to rule the surrounding block as well.

If red-light cameras are truly for safety’s sake, the city should never see a dime of the revenue.

Rob Dewhirst,

Lawrence