Traffic Camera's in DC giving speeding tickets

[panthercity]

Searching for "cameras +traffic +yellow +shortened" turns up information such as this Investigation by Dick Armey

 

[Maddog]

I do not doubt the profit motive by local agencies that implement these schemes. However, I have seen the change in motorist behavior when these cameras are installed.

I work in Pasadena California and I have never in my life seen more idiots that run red lights than they do in Pasadena. At one particularly bad insection the city installed the red light cameras and it took only a very short time before drivers stopped trying to beat the light.

Whether Pasadena made money off the deal or not, I don't care. As I drive through that intersection I think I am safer. Anecdotal evidence, I know, but I really believe it has made it safer to drive through that particular intersection.

 

[fjr]

I am not endorsing the product but clicky.

 

[sparky3008]

I do not doubt the profit motive by local agencies that implement these schemes. However, I have seen the change in motorist behavior when these cameras are installed.
I work in Pasadena California and I have never in my life seen more idiots that run red lights than they do in Pasadena. At one particularly bad insection the city installed the red light cameras and it took only a very short time before drivers stopped trying to beat the light.

Whether Pasadena made money off the deal or not, I don't care. As I drive through that intersection I think I am safer. Anecdotal evidence, I know, but I really believe it has made it safer to drive through that particular intersection.

I have no problem 0% with red light cameras. I have seen the death and accidents that come from this.

Cameras to simply catch you speeding in my opinion is a little far.

Maybe it is the sporting nature of trying to beat the cop and vica versa but the camera's are just a money maker when it comes to speeding.

 

[donaldb]

Alright, I did a little research, (refer to my earlier post) where I saw this reflectant spray was on Fox News, now wait a minute Yanktar I know how you hate Foxnews---just give me a sec. I'm not saying this stuff really works, but as I recall the segment, they did some testing and concluded that to some degree it did work. Anyway, go to: phantomplate.com, the site looks kinda ?'able, but they did make it as far as Foxnews--for whateverthatsworth, they showed some actual pic's from intersection cameras and the plates were partially blurred :blink:

 

[sparky3008]

https://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0205/208164.html

Huge money!!

Locations

Robots rulling the earth (Judge Dreed) Where does it stop?

 

[jestal]

Did you guys follow the scam in the Phoenix area regarding the red light cameras several years ago where the locality with the cameras had shortened the yellow light interval for the camera intersections to promote red light running to make more money.?? ...

What locality? I call BS on this.

Cite your source that says who shortened yellows to nail people in the name of revenue.

I don't like the cameras myself, but I don't buy the Big Brother argument without some proof Jestal.

All the reports may be BS but it was reported in Mesa, Arizona, I believe. Not living there I did not follow it specifically but I did see reference to it in several different publications.

There were several writeups in magazines, one in particular that went into specific detail by Pat Bedard in Car and Driver.

I also know several people that work at the GM Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, Arizona and they verbally confirmed what was going on to me when I asked them about it at the time.

The court cases made the papers in the area several times as people were able to prove that the yellow delays on the camera intersections were shorter than the non-camera intersections and were the first means of getting tickets thrown out. Eventually the contract with the camera supplier (it seems to me that the supplier was one of the defense contractors like Lockheed or someone like that...) came to light about a guaranteed revenue and the cut of the revenue the supplier got.

Here is a reference https://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...article_id=1979

Actually, after going back and doing a little reading my memory was better than I thought....LOL. BS or not, source cited and big brother aspect alive and well in my mind.

Personally, I need solid proof that ANY so called "safety" campaign is nothing more than another revenue source for the locality/state/feds. Their whole ruse over the 55 mph speed limit for safety was SUCH BS for so many years and they basically got their heads handed to them on a platter when the speed limits finally went back up and the traffic fatalities contrinued to decline....so much for safety. Michigan and the Detroit metro area is an interesting case study in revenue generation. I routinely see 90 MPH in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic these days (I-696 when it is moving...LOL) without a cop in sight and there are actually very few wrecks nor none of the mayhem the safetynicks would have you belive such speeds inspire. Yet, a few hours later the traffic level is 10 % of what it was earlier and there are the LEO's en-masse writing tickets for speeding. So....hmmm.....I can run 90 with relative impunity in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic but that practice suddenly becomes "unsafe" at 11:00 AM when the traffic thins out. REVENUE. PERIOD. There is just no other explaination for things like this and red light cameras and speedling cameras.

 

[sparky3008]

Yes Jestal, and some of the links above point to your conclusion that it is revenue. I personally can't see how the public has allowed it to happen.

It is like the gun issue or any other freedom, they don't take it from you all at once, it is a little political piece at a time. When they first brought these cameras out it was to prevent crime, stop red light running. Now believe it or not for going even 1 mile to 10 miles over the limit these cameras can fine you $30. A cop would almost never fine you for that little over. The human element is now out of the picture. Then for 11 and up it is $200. No points and no day in court.

Also cops could sit along the highway everyday at a few key points and stop speeders everyday much cheaper than this if they really wanted to stop them.

The district also failed to pass the commuter tax and many believe this is a substitute for that and came just 1 year after its failure.

 

[Ignacio]

Actually, after going back and doing a little reading my memory was better than I thought....LOL. BS or not, source cited and big brother aspect alive and well in my mind.

This is me eating crow. LET ALL FAR AND WIDE KNOW THAT I CALLED OUT JESTAL TO CITE A SOURCE on this yellow light shortening things, AND HE RESPONDED WITH VIGOR.

Jestal,

In amongst all the floaty pieces that conspiracy theorists purport as gospel these days I've become somewhat jaded. There's just to much crap that drowns out the well-reasoned and researched statements that may seem inflammatory.

My apologies. Not only have you cited a source, but a source I believe in as a bonafide expert. I'm a long-time follower of Patrick Bedard and even had my first writing published in C&D, where he was editor and/or columnist, about 20 years ago. (Gushing about a Mitsubishi Eclipse article he wrote).

I'm not yet totally convinced, but do smell large amounts of smoke in the Mesa thing.

And.....at the serious risk of not liking what I find when I dig a little deeper.....work for the major U.S. defense contractor that apparanently manufactures and leases these camera systems.

DOH!

I work for a different part of the Lockheed with like 150,000 employees so it's not like a colleague or something.

But, I will say that my values and ethics as a company man don't match at all what Bedard suggests. I hope it's not true in another part of the company and am going to do some more research.

Thanks for the woodshed lesson friend. :clap:

 

[etz]

how long before this becomes commonplace in the US as well? Hilarity ensues.

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

https://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2a.htm

https://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2b.htm

https://www.speedcam.co.uk/gatso2c.htm

 

[03silverbullet]

Did you guys follow the scam in the Phoenix area regarding the red light cameras several years ago where the locality with the cameras had shortened the yellow light interval for the camera intersections to promote red light running to make more money.?? ...

What locality? I call BS on this.

Cite your source that says who shortened yellows to nail people in the name of revenue.

I don't like the cameras myself, but I don't buy the Big Brother argument without some proof Jestal.

I won't go as far to say conspiracy but my one and only red light ticket was on a traffic light that I come to every day. I know that since that time the light doesn't change as fast from yellow to red. I have a feeling enough people complained or something as the thing was fairly new when I got it...

I went to traffic school awhile back, and the instructor talked talked about this.It hapened in San Diego co.

After much legal work, the defenders finally got ther money back and the point erased.

This mat have happened in other parts of the country as well.

 

[Tom of VA]

I got one of these tickets in DC. I was in my pickup, and went into the city to buy a part off a guy I knew. I thought I was saving some money buying a used part until I got my picture mailed to me a week later with a 100 dollar fine. I drive like a saint and have no tickets. I was really pissed to get a penalty like this for going a couple of miles an hour over on a wide open 4 lane street. Cities like DC that rely on tourism need to know we are not interested in going into a hostile environment like this. And I will always vote against those in favor of this kind of law enforcement. We want to be safe but I don't think cameras and radars hanging from every pole is the answer. Why not just tap all the phones too. Oh ya, they want that also! :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: