Is Big Brother watching?

That’s the question many people have been asking as new cameras were installed at a key intersection in Troy.

The cameras at the intersection of U.S. 231 and South Brundidge Street/Elba Highway have stirred quite a bit of concern among residents who wonder if they are designed to identify speeding cars or drivers who pass through red lights.

Just this week, a representative of the Alabama Department of Transportation reiterated publicly that the cameras specifically are not designed to detect traffic violations. Instead, they are being used to trigger the light cycles at what is likely Troy’s busiest intersection. The cameras apparently replace sensors previously installed in the roadways and should help smooth traffic flow through the congested intersection.

Even with that reassurance, we’re sure some folks are still suspicious of the cameras and their purpose. After all, anyone who has travelled through Montgomery within the past two years has noticed the plethora of traffic cameras at key intersections in that city.

Our advice is simple: Obey the traffic laws. No speeding. No pushing to get through that just-turning-red light. No cruising under the light when it’s yellow.

Be safe. And don’t worry about what the cameras may capture.