Best speed camera pictures ever

[dieziege]

As it works out it is very reliable for detecting speed. More reliable than radar in one way. There are only two variables... distance of the subject (car) to camera (which is easily detected from marks on roadway or camera setup (depth of focus)) and timing of camera (which can be controlled down to a millionth of a second). We could tell if something was going 32 or 35MPH... for that matter, we could tell how fast someone was walking. Even more to the point, we could take a picture of 20 people all walking across the same frame and tell how fast each of them was going. Which gets to why it is more reliable than radar... you end up with a photographic record of exactly *which* vehicle was speeding. And if there were two speeders, you can get 'em both. There is no possibility that the radar was hitting vehicle A but the camera caught vehicle B's license plate. ... but that's all technical hubajuba.

I know the financial situation better than you do (after all, we were trying to sell in that market) and your analysis is superficial. The idea of traffic cameras was sold as a revenue generator. Lockheed was after $44,000,000 NET profit in 2004 on their traffic camera business... and they pitched it to the cities (including San Diego, which was having horrible money troubles when the idea was presented to them) as a way to boost income. San Diego was getting close to a $1,000,000 a year from them ($827,000 in 1999, vs $60,000 for police-issued citations).

BTW: California more than TRIPPLED the fines (from $108 to $346) for red light violations in 1998... just after the first automated red light cameras were installed. Think there is a connection? The state legislature did... their stated purpose was to "encourage" automated red light enforcement companies.

[MrGompers]

Why should I trust the people in charge of the redlight or speeding cameras ?
Who says they won't use it to track their ex-girlfriends ? Or track someone else who doesn't want to be tracked.

Who watchers the watchers ?

What are the police, judges, and elected officials up to ? Can I track them ?

When the public has direct access to these cameras as well I'm all for it.

We know that will never happen tho. The govt protects itsself first and the populace second.

[NorthernPete]

they are watching you through your monitor right now....

and they will force you to wear a helmet.....

[CNF2002]

The ones I've seen only snap a photo when it detects a violation. Its not a full-time video camera that I'm aware of.

[Chris8187]

Don't get me started on red light cameras in freaking California. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid it is beyond belief. Based to get money for the government and only targets the "honest" drivers. If you take off your front license plate, they cannot give you a ticket for running a red light, which is over $300, but you might get a $20 ticket for not having a front license plate. Oh, if I cover my face while running a red, wow no ticket for me because they do not know who is driving the car. Unless I admit it was me, I get no ticket. They also cause more rear-end accidents because people do emergency stops because they don't want a $380 ticket, and towns shorten the amount of time the amber light has. Those cameras are such a great concept. The people that cause the red light accidents are going to run them anyway, but now the cameras give people tickets if they run the light by .1 of a second. Give me a break. How does this help anyone but the government by increasing revenues?

[CNF2002]

I disagree Chris.

For one, the ticket should be issued to whoever the car belongs to. If you hand your keys over to a drunk person and let them take your car and they kill someone, I think you should be partially held responsible. If you lend your car to someone who is irresponsible and speeds and runs red lights, you are also partially responsible (although I think there should be a way of suing for the amount of the ticket in a small claims court).

I'm sure I read somewhere that the cameras do not give tickets unless the light has been red for a second or so.

I keep hearing these conspiracy theories about shortening amber lights and raising the fees but these sound like isolated cases.

Dunno...I really dont have any solid stats to go on at this point, its all just my personal viewpoint.

These cameras are great technology...if we need to better regulate their use, by all means...but lets figure out how to use them to make the roads safer, not just throw them out because of a few bad apples.

[dieziege]

Here's the thing about the shortened amber cycle... and it comes in two parts.

First, the contract that Lockheed used in selling these traffic cameras (specifically the red light cameras) bars the city from improving the intersection in any way that will reduce the number of red light violations. So when someone did a study and found that 96% of all red light running (and the related accidents) simply stop happening if you add 1.5 seconds to the yellow cycle (and they did that study and it is true)... most places started stretching the yellow... but they couldn't stretch the yellows at intersections with traffic cameras. So now the traffic camera intersections have shorter yellows specifically to get more tickets.... safety is compromised for Lockheed's profit.

Second, it was discovered that many of the traffic cameras were installed at lights that, at least after the installation, had illegally short green and yellow cycles. California law includes minimum cycle duration specifications, and these were shaving that by several hundredths of a second. Most lights are longer by several tenths of a second. Many tickets were thrown out when that was discovered... but many more had already been paid. The cameras weren't programmed with any delay between the light turning red and the picture being taken... so people who were .07 seconds past the "red" were getting citations.

As for red light tickets being for the car... that doesn't make sense. It is a moving violation... the decision to run the light was that of the driver... of course you give the ticket to the driver not the car. Just like speeding tickets go to the driver not the car.

[Nalian]

If light cycles are being shortened, then that should be fixed. But every @#*(#&@ who runs a red light deserves more than just a ticket.

I'd rather have a speed camera than a real traffic cop give me a ticket. I've had a state trooper in another state literally decide he didn't like my bumper sticker so he searched my whole vehicle. For going 2 miles over the speed limit. A ticket I would have been unhappy about but paid - but he kept me on the side of the highway for 35 minutes while he tossed my car. Didn't find anything so I was fine - but it made me very late and certainly pissed me off.

..and people still wonder why I hate driving through PA. Bleh.

[MrGompers]

If cycles are being shortened, than fix that. But every @#*(#&@ who runs a red light deserves more than just a ticket.

I'd rather have a speed camera than a real traffic cop give me a ticket. I've had a state trooper in another state literally decide he didn't like my bumper sticker so he searched my whole vehicle. For going 2 miles over the speed limit. A ticket I would have been unhappy about but paid - but he kept me on the side of the highway for 35 minutes while he tossed my car. Didn't find anything so I was fine - but it made me very late and certainly pissed me off.

..and people still wonder why I hate driving through PA. Bleh.

General rule to follow here. If the police ask to search your car they don't have probable cause. Thats why they are asking they want you to give them permission. Flat out refuse these requests everytime.

If they come back and say something like "I can get a warrant" you say "go ahead I'll wait"

No judge is going to sign off on that. Especially, if its at nite.

[MrGompers]

The ones I've seen only snap a photo when it detects a violation. Its not a full-time video camera that I'm aware of.

Not yet.