Here is some irony – I am writing this message because I saw a community link in Facebook to “Abolish Red LIght Cameras in Redmond.”

I’m very concerned because the opponents to red light cameras are organizing. The Facebook community has 338 people supporting it.

I am a bicycle commuter. I’ve commuted to work via bicycle as my primary means of transportation for the the past three years. During that time, I’ve almost been hit by cars about a dozen times (and probably another dozens incidents that were “sort of close”).

Almost each of these incidents occured at one of two places: the intersection between West Lake Sammamish Parkway and Leary Way or the intersection between Northeast 51th Street and State Route 520.

Most of incidents occur because cars fail to stop before making a right turn on red. On one occasion, I was half way across the crosswalk when a car running the light almost hit me. In each of these instances, I was crossing in the marked crosswalk – after stopping before entering the crosswalk – with the crosswalk light flashing.

I do believe that red light cameras at these dangerous intersections (for pedestrians and bikes) might prevent me from becoming seriously injured.

Drivers have become more aggressive as highways continue to become more crowded. Dangerous behaviors – such as failure to come to a complete stop before making a right turn on a red light – is becoming more commonplace. There is strong evidence that red light cameras change driver behavior.

I understand that bicycle riders aren’t entirely without fault. Most of the daily commuters are consciencious cyclists. I have seen cyclists bolt onto the cross walks – without stopping – and without the right of way. There needs to be signficant deterents to both drivers and bicycle riders that break the law.

I fully hope that you do not let a few 100 letters (from people that probably do not stop for yellow lights) bias your thinking into abandoning the red light camera program. I truly believe that not one of them are frequent pedestrians or cyclists.

I also believe that if you randomly polled the general (or voting) public you would find support for greater enforcement measures.

John Cherrie, Redmond