Traffic Camera's in DC giving speeding tickets

[sparky3008]

I recall mention of this either coming to some part of the country or about it being in another country.

Well, it is in DC. I just saw a friends ticket of doing 61 in a 45 and was billed $100 and no points.

I wonder how many states this is going to be in?

What kind of impact on traffic will this have?

SUCKS!! One more reason for me to not go to DC

Of course it won't be long before it comes to Maryland :angry:

 

[yanktar]

I recall mention of this either coming to some part of the country or about it being in another country.Well, it is in DC. I just saw a friends ticket of doing 61 in a 45 and was billed $100 and no points.

I wonder how many states this is going to be in?

What kind of impact on traffic will this have?

SUCKS!! One more reason for me to not go to DC

Of course it won't be long before it comes to Maryland  :angry:

NYC has had it for a few years. A co-worked got nailed running a red light. They use the damn things all over England, especially around London.

DC lives by the principle that they don't give a rat's ass about what you do, just as long as they can generate revenue from it. They will ticket you for feeding the meter--you're supposed to give up the spot and find another, not just stick in more quarters. They will ticket you for an expired meter even when the meter isn't expired--it's your word against the meter cop and you have to take a half to full day off to fight a $45 ticket. I've heard of people having as much as 10 minutes left when the meter reader writes them a ticket just on spec!

One day, on my way to work, around 1984, all the traffic lights on E Street were out. When I called the District's traffic control, I was told to call the electric company!

The area is nice to live in, but DC itself sucks, even if you live in the better parts of NW or Capital Hill. Traffic sucks too--NOBODY knows how to drive and when there's the slightest bit of rain traffic comes to a complete halt as the out-of-towners are frozen in their panic--like the guy in the Chevy commercial they keep running during the Olympics. Lived in NO-VA for 10 years before moving to Joisey.

 

[Grumpy]

These are sold to the various cities as a revenue generator.........nothing to do with safety!

 

[sparky3008]

These are sold to the various cities as a revenue generator.........nothing to do with safety!

Well, we are treading on political topics but I think that in general for speeding.

Now aggressive driving in and out of lanes tail gating is a different matter, this is a safety issue...

 

[Windjammer]

I just saw a friends ticket of doing 61 in a 45 and was billed $100 and no points.

That's not a bad deal, actually, for 16 over. Where I live that would be a $250 fine and 3 points.

If government would admit that speed enforcement is not safety related and just send you a bill with no points like your friend got, and no driving record listing for speed violations, I'd be all for it. In fact, they could just send me a monthly bill for $100 or so if I could have a 20 mph grace on all highway speed limits.

I get very few tickets these days, but used to collect my fair share. The fines never bothered me, it was the damn insurance companies ($) and points BS I always hated.

 

[slapnpop]

Political topics are allowed if it's involving polital issues for motorcycles, which this I think qualifies for.

I'd like to see the police do more about wreckless drivers than speeding. I can't tell you how many times a day I'm cussing the asshole that just cut me off to make an exit, or the granny coming to a stop at the top of an onramp where's you're supposed to MERGE with traffic.

Worse still are the multiple occations when I've been ticked for things I wasn't/couldn't be doing. Like the officer who claimed he paced me at 50 in a 30, and that I was drag racing. I was behind 3 other cars at the light he claimed I was racing at, and I was sitting at the next redlight for 30-45 seconds when he pulled up behind me claiming to have paced me.

 

[Rogue]

These are all over. A solution I heard of (Never tried it) is to register your car in your wife's name and hers in yours. When you get a ticket showing your car with a woman driving you can say its not you and if they ask who was driving your car you do not have to testify against your spouse.

Also how could they prove the rider of a bike with a helmet on?

 

[Ignacio]

These are all over. A solution I heard of (Never tried it) is to register your car in your wife's name and hers in yours. When you get a ticket showing your car with a woman driving you can say its not you and if they ask who was driving your car you do not have to testify against your spouse.Also how could they prove the rider of a bike with a helmet on?

Because it's not a moving violation and points. More like a parking ticket. If it wasn't you--the burden is you to prove who you loaned the vehicle.

Of course laws and details will vary by state and jurisdiction.

They won't make it into my community--that's for sure. I'd call up your elected officials and express your displeasure.

 

[sparky3008]

These are all over. A solution I heard of (Never tried it) is to register your car in your wife's name and hers in yours. When you get a ticket showing your car with a woman driving you can say its not you and if they ask who was driving your car you do not have to testify against your spouse.Also how could they prove the rider of a bike with a helmet on?

Because it's not a moving violation and points. More like a parking ticket. If it wasn't you--the burden is you to prove who you loaned the vehicle.

Of course laws and details will vary by state and jurisdiction.

They won't make it into my community--that's for sure. I'd call up your elected officials and express your displeasure.

Actually on DC's website they say the ticket goes to the owner, they don't give a rats urine trail who was driving.

Nice

 

[etz]

...and the NY red-light tickets don't show the driver at all. All you get is a view of the car from behind'ish and a zoom in of the plate.

 

[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.?? Seems that there was a "guaranteed income" clause in the contract the locality had with the camera provider and they were not seeing many red light runners when the cameras were first installed. So...they shortened the yellow to make it almost impossible to NOT run the red light just to generate more revenue. The whole safety issue is hog wash. They proved that there was no safety issue as few people ran the lights so they wanted their revenue anyway.

I also read where there there is a backlash against the red light cameras in many areas where they are used as they lead to more rear end collisions at those intersection. Local drivers learn the cameras are there and stop for any slight yellow light and as a result suffer more rear end collisions. Some "safety device".

 

[Ignacio]

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.

 

[sparky3008]

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...

 

[donaldb]

This may be hokus pokus snake oil stuff, but I actually watched something on tv where you could buy some aerosol you spray onto your tag, the stuff is clear but I reacts w/cameras/photos to blur the tag to a point that it is inadmissable as evidence. Someone ought to ck into that and see if it is for real.

 

[Geezer]

If the camera is above the vehicle, I wonder if some sort of shade that sticks out above the plate without blocking it from directly behind would be helpful. SOrt of like the old days when the plate was recessed deeply into the bumper under the truck lid on some cars.

 

[1catquak]

I have to agree with Jestal on this one. I have heard the same thing several years ago. I think it was on 20/20 or Dateline. I will search for a source.

Having spent a lot of time working in the UK, I have come to despise speed cameras also. It will only be a matter of time before these money makers are all over the USA too.

 

[1catquak]

Faster than I thought.

no red light

 

[sparky3008]

Faster than I thought.


no red light

Very hard to get something stopped once they find a way to start it here in the USA.

 

[Ignacio]

Faster than I thought.


no red light

There are a lot of links on that page. I went through a bunch and didn't find any that said any jurisdiction shortened their yellows as Jestal suggested. In fact, I found one that said Fairfax, VA lengthened their yellow and decreased the number of tickets issued.

Question still stands. Where's the citation to a jurisdiction purposely shortening the yellow?