When the city put radar-equipped cameras at four intersections and in a van, there were Big Brother-type concerns about the all-seeing eyes.
Police said the goal was improved safety. And after nearly a year of operation, the cameras have accomplished that mission.
The first camera was installed at the Tanque Verde-Grant-Kolb roads intersection in November. Since then, Tucsonans who pass through the intersections are driving more safely, with fewer red-light runners and fewer collisions.
Cameras since have been installed at East 22nd Street and South Wilmot Road, North Oracle and West River roads, and South Nogales Highway and West Valencia Road.
There also is a radar-equipped camera in a van, stationed to catch speeders in areas with a high number of collisions.
None of the cameras is secret or hidden. Signs warn drivers of both the fixed intersection camera and the mobile one in the van.
The goal is deterrence – getting people to slow down and watch traffic signals – not nabbing unsuspecting people. And in that respect, the cameras have been an unqualified success.