Good article here. It points out how American Traffic Solutions had to settle lawsuits about unfair yellow light timing. ATS was accused of reducing the length of time for yellow lights in order to capture more red light runners:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/03/18/red-light-cameras-lawsuits/1985537/
I got a ticket the other month that I am presently ignoring, and for this exact reason. It was at an intersection that I rarely go through, and I actually remember the incident, because the light was still green when I crossed the intersection and yellow then red in -- I swear! - less than three seconds. The statement I got shows I wasn't speeding, as well. I've researched this in my city and, sure enough, the timing of the yellow lights at the eight intersections that have the cameras is well below whatever the national standard is, while at all other intersections, it's standard. Plus, the line they judge you on isn't the crosswalk line, which is what any driver would use as a guide, but a thick line well beyond the crosswalk. It's total entrapment, in my view. I could not have avoided this ticket, as I was driving through a green light and it turned yellow then red THAT fast.
What my lawyer friend here told me was 1. don't view the video on the website if you're directed to one, because that serves as proof that you have received the ticket. 2. ignore it. Here, it's dismissed after 120 days if you haven't been served by a process server, which happens rarely. BUT, the magistrate almost never dismisses them, so fighting it doesn't work. The ticket is $300+, more than a minimum wage for one week, and going to traffic school was over $200.