Something else to argue over... Red light cameras

[vta]

I see them over the lights in my town and generally don't sweat it but have to admit I don't cut the yellow light as close as I would normally.

What's Driving The Backlash Against Traffic Cameras

Have you ever opened your mail and found a traffic ticket sticking you with a not-so-small fine? If so, your reaction might well have been, "What the [expletive]?"

Then maybe you looked carefully at the enclosed photo and realized the vehicle shown (allegedly) running a red light or speeding was, in fact, yours.

Join the outrage coming from hundreds of communities using red-light and speed cameras, which, to many an angry driver, seem to be lurking everywhere. Automated photo enforcement has gained wide support among local officials as a proven method of reducing collisions and enforcing traffic laws, freeing officers to respond to more serious crimes.

By far, most drivers criticize the large sums of money generated by fines. Opponents say red-light cameras actually increase the number of accidents, making the devices little more than cash machines for camera manufacturers and financially strapped governments. And they question the motives of some pro-camera safety groups that receive funding from camera companies.

"Cameras aren't about safety; they are about revenue," says Michael Kubosh of Houston, whose decision to intentionally run a red light as a protest ignited opposition and led to a 2010 voter referendum dumping the city's camera program. After settling a lawsuit brought by the company that supplied the cameras, Houston finally shut off the cameras this year.

Link

 

[YosemiteSam]

I have no issue with them. The law says don't run red lights. If you do, then you deserve the ticket. Someone doesn't have to be there for you to get a ticket.

...and yes. If a tree falls in the woods, it does make a sound. Even if there is nobody there to hear it.

 

[Cythim]

Traffic lights and stop signs are an assault on my civil liberty to drive when, where, and how I please. They should be taken down and everyone should acknowledge that I have the right-of-way whenever I am on the road.

 

[Hostile]

About 3 months ago I was in the left lane on a street that has one of these. In the right lane a black Corvette was coming fast behind me. We hit the photo enforcement area at about the same exact time and sure enough the light flashed to indicate a photo had been taken.

I wondered if I would get a ticket seeing as how I was in the "fast" lane.

I didn't.

What I don't know is if the Corvette driver did. Are these things able to accurately pick between 2 vehicles and make the case?

I honestly do not know.

 

[vta]

Traffic lights and stop signs are an assault on my civil liberty to drive when, where, and how I please. They should be taken down and everyone should acknowledge that I have the right-of-way whenever I am on the road.

:laugh2:

I agree. Unless of course I'm driving then you must step aside like everyone else.

 

[Cythim]

About 3 months ago I was in the left lane on a street that has one of these. In the right lane a black Corvette was coming fast behind me. We hit the photo enforcement area at about the same exact time and sure enough the light flashed to indicate a photo had been taken.

I wondered if I would get a ticket seeing as how I was in the "fast" lane.

I didn't.

What I don't know is if the Corvette driver did. Are these things able to accurately pick between 2 vehicles and make the case?

I honestly do not know.

This comes from an australian website but it is likely the same answer for your situation.

How do the fixed speed cameras work in multi-lane situations?
Fixed speed cameras can monitor one to four lanes in the same direction. In the Eastern Distributor, northbound for example, cameras have been installed and configured to simultaneously monitor all four lanes. This is achieved by the installation of piezo detectors for each lane and of a wide angle lens camera, which monitors all lanes, and a telephoto lens camera, targeting each traffic lane. Therefore it is clear which vehicle has been detected. Vehicles cannot avoid camera detection by straddling lanes.

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafet...ameras/howdofixeddigitalspeedcameraswork.html

 

[Cajuncowboy]

The only issue I have with them is that they are inaccurate a lot of the time. This issue was a recent one in a small town here in Middle TN. The city needed to raise more money for some improvements and the city council voted, despite public opposition, to approve these cameras. Once they spent the money and had them installed, their revenues did indeed increase. The problem was the cameras were not calibrated properly. They were ticketing cars that were not supposed to be ticketed.

When the complaints piled up the company who installed them came out to investigate, they said they re calibrated the cameras and everything would work normally. They didn't. They then started snapping pictures of cars when they entered the intersection on green-yellow signal. More revenue but more upset people. Finally the outcry was so great that they said they were not going use them any longer. Unfortunately, they are under a long term contract with the company to maintain the equipment. more money spent needlessly.

 

[vta]

About 3 months ago I was in the left lane on a street that has one of these. In the right lane a black Corvette was coming fast behind me. We hit the photo enforcement area at about the same exact time and sure enough the light flashed to indicate a photo had been taken.

I wondered if I would get a ticket seeing as how I was in the "fast" lane.

I didn't.

What I don't know is if the Corvette driver did. Are these things able to accurately pick between 2 vehicles and make the case?

I honestly do not know.

Sensors in the ground probably measure distance to camera if it's not a video camera. It's the same way a traffic light 'knows' a car is sitting there and times it's changing. If you don't pull up close enough to the light it won't change.

 

[Vtwin]

There is a big discussion going on about this on the hockey forum right now. I have no experience with these things but the general consensus is that if you contest it and show up in court they are very easy to get thrown out. Especially if you are wearing a ball cap and sunglasses.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

About 3 months ago I was in the left lane on a street that has one of these. In the right lane a black Corvette was coming fast behind me. We hit the photo enforcement area at about the same exact time and sure enough the light flashed to indicate a photo had been taken.

I wondered if I would get a ticket seeing as how I was in the "fast" lane.

I didn't.

What I don't know is if the Corvette driver did. Are these things able to accurately pick between 2 vehicles and make the case?

I honestly do not know.

I believe if there are two cars in the photo, neither gets a ticket.

 

[Hostile]

There is a big discussion going on about this on the hockey forum right now. I have no experience with these things but the general consensus is that if you contest it and show up in court they are very easy to get thrown out. Especially if you are wearing a ball cap and sunglasses.

Yeah, a police officer friend of mine told me that wearing sunglasses and a cap and having your sun visor down is an almost 99% guaranteed way of not getting a ticket by one of those things.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The only issue I have with them is that they are inaccurate a lot of the time. This issue was a recent one in a small town here in Middle TN. The city needed to raise more money for some improvements and the city council voted, despite public opposition, to approve these cameras. Once they spent the money and had them installed, their revenues did indeed increase. The problem was the cameras were not calibrated properly. They were ticketing cars that were not supposed to be ticketed.

When the complaints piled up the company who installed them came out to investigate, they said they re calibrated the cameras and everything would work normally. They didn't. They then started snapping pictures of cars when they entered the intersection on green-yellow signal. More revenue but more upset people. Finally the outcry was so great that they said they were not going use them any longer. Unfortunately, they are under a long term contract with the company to maintain the equipment. more money spent needlessly.

What you've said doesn't make since. If the company that the town has the contract with cannot make them work properly, (ie, can't fulfill their side of the obligation) the contract should be voided. There is no way in hell the town would have to pay for something they never got.

The town either A) needs to make the company fix it, or B) fire their current moron of a lawyer.

 

[Nomad]

This may have changed, but I thought there was a compromise of sorts where you couldn't fight the ticket but it wouldn't go on your driving record, at least that is how it is in Ft Worth,TX.

I'm extra careful and have never had one, but I have had to go online and pay them for family members. The whole thing is just a money racket to bring in income, but it's avoidable I guess.

There was a town in Texas I forgot the name, but people stopped running the red lights after they put in cameras so they had the yellow light time adjusted somehow to catch more people in the red. That showed me that it's more about the money than it is about public safety.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

What you've said doesn't make since. If the company that the town has the contract with cannot make them work properly, (ie, can't fulfill their side of the obligation) the contract should be voided. There is no way in hell the town would have to pay for something they never got.

The town either A) needs to make the company fix it, or B) fire their current moron of a lawyer.

I guess what I meant was by the time they had so called fixed the problem, there was so much outrage over the issue the council decided not to continue using the cameras to enforce the traffic laws. But because of the contract, they had to honor that. The company did fix the issue but by then the public perception was it was a useless system so they scrapped it.

 

[iceberg]

I have no issue with them. The law says don't run red lights. If you do, then you deserve the ticket. Someone doesn't have to be there for you to get a ticket.

...and yes. If a tree falls in the woods, it does make a sound. Even if there is nobody there to hear it.

then let me ask you this - if "automation of tickets" can be accepted, what if you're on a tollroad and you're "speeding" - they log times you go through so they'll know if you were speeding.

automatic ticket?

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

My Son was born in DC a touch over eight years ago. We have a nice, but pricey photo of drive home from the Hospital courtesy of the DC POlice Department Cameras. :laugh2:

 

[cowboy_ron]

About 3 months ago I was in the left lane on a street that has one of these. In the right lane a black Corvette was coming fast behind me. We hit the photo enforcement area at about the same exact time and sure enough the light flashed to indicate a photo had been taken.

I wondered if I would get a ticket seeing as how I was in the "fast" lane.

I didn't.

What I don't know is if the Corvette driver did. Are these things able to accurately pick between 2 vehicles and make the case?

I honestly do not know.

I remember many years ago they tried that on 303 and stopped it, but I guess the technology has improved quite a bit since those days

 

[Longboysfan]

then let me ask you this - if "automation of tickets" can be accepted, what if you're on a tollroad and you're "speeding" - they log times you go through so they'll know if you were speeding.

automatic ticket?

I read a long time ago the toll roads do not take the time in and time out into consideration when using the EZ Pass system.

They just want the toll money not you fine money.
They do in some places send you warning letters if you go through the toll too quickly.

My friend had his EZ Pass revoked because of this.

 

[iceberg]

I read a long time ago the toll roads do not take the time in and time out into consideration when using the EZ Pass system.

They just want the toll money not you fine money.
They do in some places send you warning letters if you go through the toll too quickly.

My friend had his EZ Pass revoked because of this.

yea, but it could quickly be changed to do this. i guess the real point is automation of tickets - how acceptable is it?

 

[Arch Stanton]

We have to endure so many different types of "safety" cameras.

http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/speed-camera-types.htm

We love them so much....

http://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2.htm