As a pedestrian and cyclist in Eugene, I appreciate the concerns raised by Julie Daniel about the need to address dangerous road conditions for our most vulnerable street users. However, Daniel’s letter to the editor falsely equates the much discussed Flock cameras with traffic cameras that are meant to deter reckless driving and catch people breaking traffic laws.

Flock is not designed to catch people running red lights or stop signs. It is not designed to catch people speeding. In fact, it is not designed to identify people breaking any traffic laws at all. It is purely a mass surveillance tool, intended to track everyone’s location at all times. It is not meant to enforce traffic laws but to find people who are suspected of crimes (and in many recent cases, immigrants to the U.S. and other people who have committed no crimes at all).

To borrow the writer’s analogy, Flock is not a traffic cop standing at an intersection. It is more like an unmarked car following you down the street at all times.

Actual red light cameras and speed cameras could be part of the solution to the issue of addressing unsafe conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. But there are many other less invasive ways to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians through concepts such as traffic calming, complete streets and more bike and pedestrian infrastructure (many of which our city is already pursuing).

Reckless driving is an important concern in our city, but Flock is unfortunately not a tool that will help address it or make our streets safer for cyclists (although, according to Eyes Off Eugene, we have learned that the Eugene Police Department is using it to track people on bicycles).

Greg Miller
Eugene