Red light cameras coming to my town...

[Goose]

My local paper says that red light cameras will be installed at some intersections in my town. Although some of these intersections can be avoided with detours, this isn't the point of my rant.

This situation just doesn't pass the smell test for me. While the local authorities are (of course) playing up the public safety angle, the cameras look like, at best, a real conflict of interest. The company that is leasing the cameras to the town charges ~$5,000 per camera, per month to the town. The interesting part of the arrangement is that the fee to the town is waived if the cameras issue tickets beyond this amount each month. Each ticket will be $120 and are issued by the camera company "on behalf of" the town.

To me, this looks like nothing more than a revenue stream. The camera company is clearly motivated to issue as many tickets as they can, since they pocket a portion of the proceeds. At $120 per ticket, thirty days is plenty of time to make well beyond five grand.

How about this example:

What if you're waiting in the intersection to make a left turn. Oncoming traffic doesn't let up until the light goes yellow/red before you can make your turn. What's to prevent the camera from snapping your picture and claiming that you ran the light?

Time to look into those photo-blocking plate covers...

[silver_vios]

Originally Posted by Goose

What if you're waiting in the intersection to make a left turn. Oncoming traffic doesn't let up until the light goes yellow/red before you can make your turn. What's to prevent the camera from snapping your picture and claiming that you ran the light?

Time to look into those photo-blocking plate covers...

I've been in that exact situation and not gotten a ticket. What's preventing them is one person with a camera in their car that could sue them for millions if they wrongfully give a ticket.

And pretty much anything on your plate is illegal. I'd be more worried about a cop pulling me over for that than getting a red light ticket

[Loren]

FYI, saw a news report on red-light cameras here in the Tampa area last week. (the big news was that the city is posting videos on YouTube of "the worst offenders", people blatantly running lights, near-miss accidents, that sort of thing) They flat out said that they only ticket for right-turn-on-red violations if the car is clearly going more than 15 mph. In other words, if you do a roll-through right-turn and the light's red, they're not gonna bust you for it. But, if you do a fly-through at 20 mph on yellow-that-just-turned-red... you might get a ticket.

YMMV. But, I would expect most cities using cameras are only ticketing for the "sure thing". Don't blatantly run a red light and you won't get a ticket.

If the local laws in your area allow "right turn on red after stop", they can't have a system that's going to ticket you for doing so.

Originally Posted by Goose

How about this example:

What if you're waiting in the intersection to make a left turn. Oncoming traffic doesn't let up until the light goes yellow/red before you can make your turn. What's to prevent the camera from snapping your picture and claiming that you ran the light?

If you're already in the intersection when the light turns red, you won't be ticketed.

[sqcomp]

Yeah...I don't run reds. I slow to a stop at yellow. Yellow doesn't mean speed up.

[Slick]

^^ the he'll it doesn't. Yellow is still green by any dictionary :P

[tomato]

I got caught changing lanes (crossing a solid white line) at a red light. There was nobody behind me in either lane so I figured I'd change lane since I was in the wrong lane, and boom the camera goes off. Still waiting for my spanking

[yaris-me]

If enough people call in or write to their council member or legislator, they back down quick and eliminate it. It has happen in Hawaii and California.

[fmicle]

Originally Posted by yaris-me

If enough people call in or write to their council member or legislator, they back down quick and eliminate it. It has happen in Hawaii and California.

So, following the same reasoning, you think that if enough people write to their council to eliminate taxes and all sorts of fees, they will? Think again!

[nemelek]

King of suprising the first time I saw one of the cameras go off. They have a big flash of light so the camera takes a high speed picture.

In all, the camera is probably a good thing. Some of the worse accidents I've seen happen when someone has run a red light.

[Cosmonaut]

Originally Posted by tomato

I got caught changing lanes (crossing a solid white line) at a red light. There was nobody behind me in either lane so I figured I'd change lane since I was in the wrong lane, and boom the camera goes off. Still waiting for my spanking

i dont think youll get one. i come in fast and brake at the last moment never run reds and always get flashed. it seems if "youre going fast enough at a specific point" the cams take a pic anyways.

[tomato]

I think the camera went off because it detected movement when there shouldn't have been (light was already red). We'll see.. If I disappear from the board for a while, you'll know the cops got me (I've actually been waiting for this ticket for a while ) Hope you're right. These red light fines are *hefty*

[cali yaris]

So, following the same reasoning, you think that if enough people write to their council to eliminate taxes and all sorts of fees, they will?

Yes, it actually does work that way. The keyword is "enough".

I can't stand people who complain but do absolutely nothing to invoke change.

[why?]

time to do what the brits did to the speed cameras: destroy them. Get some good practice at a shooting range, and then go on a hunt and destroy spree.

if every single camera is destroyed after being put up, along with anti camera write ins and demonstrations, they will stop using them.

[JumpmanYaris]

Originally Posted by why?

if every single camera is destroyed after being put up, along with anti camera write ins and demonstrations, they will stop using them.

But if you get caught= big time $ in fines+ jail

[squall_x]

Originally Posted by tomato

I got caught changing lanes (crossing a solid white line) at a red light. There was nobody behind me in either lane so I figured I'd change lane since I was in the wrong lane, and boom the camera goes off. Still waiting for my spanking

From what I was told by a traffic school teacher they have to get a pic of you crossing the white line on the RED light, then you crusing the middle of the intersection on the RED light. So from the pictures that I saw from him they take about 3 pictures of you crossing the RED light to give you a ticket.

This was a teacher from LA so don't know if this applies to you up there.

[tomato]

Yeah, I didn't cross the line going into the intersection, so if they were looking for a red light penalty, there was none. But I did cross over a solid white line to change lane.

The way things are going lately (the State is broke) I was sure I'd get something in the mail with some kind of fine attached to it. So far so good, and it's been at least a couple of months

[fmicle]

Originally Posted by cali yaris

Yes, it actually does work that way. The keyword is "enough".

I can't stand people who complain but do absolutely nothing to invoke change.

Just curious, do you think that, given an opportunity to vote on it, the people in this country would vote for paying taxes?

I'm not talking about accepting the taxes because that's how a state works, I'm talking about, if given the opportunity to choose "do you want to pay taxes or not?", I think most people would say no. If and only if we boil it down to that simple question...

[cali yaris]

Just curious, do you think that, given an opportunity to vote on it, the people in this country would vote for paying taxes?

Yes. As long as it's made clear to the person being asked, all of the services they would NOT get if there were no taxes at all.

I am happy to pay taxes. I just want more for my money and different priorities in how they are spent.

But you ignored my point about complaining.
What concrete and real action have you taken to create change?