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Red Light Cameras Could Be In Jeopardy In Texas After State Senate Votes To Ban Them

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Texas could put red light cameras in the rearview mirror under a bill that has cleared the Texas Senate.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: will red light cameras get the red light?; it’s a bumpy road for self-driving cars in Texas; technology and innovation take center stage at State of the Arts; and more.

Texas could put red light cameras in the rearview mirror under a bill that has cleared the Texas Senate. Republican Sen. Bob Hall said Wednesday that red light cameras "have failed miserably" before his bill was sent over to the House. Dozens of Texas cities have contracted companies to install red light cameras, which generate millions in revenue for municipalities. The companies photograph vehicles that run red lights, and then send the vehicle owner a $75 ticket. Texas lawmakers now want to prohibit a camera system on anything other than toll roads. Hall said studies show the devices don't improve overall traffic safety as advertised. Also, since ticketed drivers can't confront their accusers, Hall said the cameras violate citizens' due process rights. [Associated Press]

  • A self-driving car bill has stalled in Texas thanks to Google and car makers. The Texas Tribune reports: A bill to update Texas law for the age of driverless cars has stalled due to two serious roadblocks: Google and major car manufacturers. Both the technology giant and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry group, have come out against a proposal from state Sen.Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, to create a pilot program aimed at monitoring and encouraging autonomous vehicle testing in Texas. Read more here. [Texas Tribune]

  • Enjoy an evening with the hosts of public radio’s A Way With Words. Hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett will appear at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Majestic Theater in Dallas. Learn more here. The event benefits the Aberg Center for Literacy. Barnette and Barrett appeared on KERA’s Think Wednesday afternoon. Catch up on that conversation here. A Way With Words airs at 1 p.m. Saturdays on KERA 90.1 FM.

  • Technology and innovation take center stage at State of the Arts. KERA’s Jeff Whittington hosts the conversation at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Dallas Museum of Art. Featured panelists are Dale Carman, founder and executive creative director of Reel FX Studios; artist Alison Jardine; and Dan Kohl, vice president of innovation at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

  • Architect Charles Renfro will appear at the Dallas Architecture Forum on Thursday. He received the 2015 Texas Medal of Arts Award in Architecture by the Texas Cultural Trust. The forum says he’s “one of the country’s leading designers of arts institutions, including the renovation and expansion of the Julliard School, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, the Broad Museum in Los Angeles, and the Alice Tully Hall and Hypar Pavilion at Lincoln Center in New York.” He’ll speak at 7 p.m. at the Magnolia Theater in Dallas’ West Village.A reception starts at 6:15 p.m. General admission tickets are $20 and $5 for students with ID. Learn more here.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.