Seattle Magazine on our city's obnoxious red light cameras:

When Mike McKim made a right turn on red at the corner of NW Market Street and 15th Avenue NW in Ballard last December, there was absolutely nothing remarkable about it. No oncoming traffic. No one in the crosswalk. Just “city driving,” as he calls it.

But the video taken by the intersection’s traffic-light camera told another story, revealing that McKim failed to come to a complete stop before turning right on red. His infraction—one of 4,199 violations captured last December by Seattle’s 30 traffic-light cameras—cost him $124.

Since 2005, 20 jurisdictions across Washington have deployed red-light and speed cameras to improve traffic safety, applying the hammer of $100-plus fines to make their point. After initiating a six-camera pilot program in 2006, Seattle installed 24 more cameras between 2008 and this year. Want to push yellow? Want to roll through a right turn on red? It’ll cost you.

Despite their increasing use, these cameras continue to raise a lot of questions. First and foremost: Do they make traffic safer?