230 replies to this topic

[runawayjim]

monsoon, on Mar 21 2006, 07:07 PM, said:

Well I am afraid this is just the start.  

Here in Charlotte we have not only red light cameras to catch people that run lights, but we also have radar cameras that catch speeders.   The radar ones are particularly devious as they move those around the city.  

If you run a light or break the speed limit  the camera takes a photo of your car including the license plate.   You get a $50 fine in the mail along with the photo showing the offense.  There is no defense and you have to pay.   It's considered the same as getting a parking ticket so it doesn't hit your insurance.   It's the owner of the vehicle that pays, not the one driving the car. (unless it is the same person)

It's a money maker for cities and the companies that run these things.

again, i don't have an issue if there's a way to appeal it and have it thrown out.  do they assign points against your license for these or do they just give you a small fine ($50 is small for running a light or speeding in most places around here, cnosidering there's $50 parking tickets)?  if that's the case, then there's really no point in using these because you can't really take away someone's license.  again, they should be outlawed because it's not necessarily the owner who commits the offense.

Edited by runawayjim, 21 March 2006 - 06:18 PM.

[Recchia]

Haven't these been on North Main St. for a few years now?  And on Route 4 in South County?

[runawayjim]

Recchia, on Mar 21 2006, 07:19 PM, said:

Haven't these been on North Main St. for a few years now?  And on Route 4 in South County?

the one on 4, at the second light heading south... is that actually an enforcement camera to catch people who run the light?  it's a fairly complicated setup...

[Garris]

If we do get speeding cameras, one area on the East Side I guarantee will get it is Gano Street across from the Dunkin Donuts.  They not infrequently have squad cars watching speeding near the park there and they've had those "Your speed is..." trailers there several times.  

Again, as Brick says, no one has proven these devices do anything beneficial for safely except generate revenue.  If they promise to put the revenue exclusively towards increased enforcement, fixing sidewalks, and better traffic planning, then maybe I could swallow that pill better, but that's certainly not going to happen...

-Garris

[DavidSegal]

Garris, on Mar 21 2006, 08:43 PM, said:

If we do get speeding cameras, one area on the East Side I guarantee will get it is Gano Street across from the Dunkin Donuts.  They not infrequently have squad cars watching speeding near the park there and they've had those "Your speed is..." trailers there several times.  

Again, as Brick says, no one has proven these devices do anything beneficial for safely except generate revenue.  If they promise to put the revenue exclusively towards increased enforcement, fixing sidewalks, and better traffic planning, then maybe I could swallow that pill better, but that's certainly not going to happen...

-Garris

We're doing a traffic calming at Roger Williams landing this summer...

One of the most damning RLC studies came out of DC last year.

[runawayjim]

Garris, on Mar 21 2006, 09:43 PM, said:

If we do get speeding cameras, one area on the East Side I guarantee will get it is Gano Street across from the Dunkin Donuts.  They not infrequently have squad cars watching speeding near the park there and they've had those "Your speed is..." trailers there several times.  

Again, as Brick says, no one has proven these devices do anything beneficial for safely except generate revenue.  If they promise to put the revenue exclusively towards increased enforcement, fixing sidewalks, and better traffic planning, then maybe I could swallow that pill better, but that's certainly not going to happen...

-Garris

they need to stop puttnig those "your speed is" trailers places and start using actual cops to just pull people over.  they had one of those trailers on my street, which isn't very wide (you can barely get 2 cars down it when only one car is parked on the side of the road).  those trailers are only effective in getting people to see how fast they can go.

[monsoon]

Garris, on Mar 21 2006, 09:43 PM, said:

Again, as Brick says, no one has proven these devices do anything beneficial for safely except generate revenue.  If they promise to put the revenue exclusively towards increased enforcement, fixing sidewalks, and better traffic planning, then maybe I could swallow that pill better, but that's certainly not going to happen...

-Garris

Actually, since the program started here, there have been a dramatic drop in accidents in intersections where the redlight cameras are installed in Charlotte.    It's something like a 40% drop.  

http://www.stopredli...ease_011905.htm

[Dan]

runawayjim, on Mar 22 2006, 07:14 AM, said:

they need to stop puttnig those "your speed is" trailers places ...  those trailers are only effective in getting people to see how fast they can go.

Is this true?   Or if your speed is: SPEEDING do you risk getting a ticket.  My friend from E.P. believes you can but I think its just a suggestion to obey the speed limit.

[runawayjim]

monsoon, on Mar 22 2006, 07:59 AM, said:

Actually, since the program started here, there have been a dramatic drop in accidents in intersections where the redlight cameras are installed in Charlotte.    It's something like a 40% drop.  

http://www.stopredli...ease_011905.htm

they'd have to fix a lot of our red lights before they were to really fully enact something like this... a lot of them still immediately turn green the moment the other turns red.  there's no delay.  i can't tell you how many near accidents i've been in because of this.  they've fixed some of them, but others have yet to be fixed.  also, something i think needs to be done before more of these get installed is to switch the lights over from being on a timer to being on a sensor.  there are too many timed lights in this city at intersections where one road is significantly busier than the cross road.  i sit at too many lights on smith street for this exact reason.

[brick]

runawayjim, on Mar 22 2006, 07:14 AM, said:

those trailers are only effective in getting people to see how fast they can go.

There is one that the PPD put on Elmgrove right before it merges with Blackstone Blvd.  Since that is one of my bike routes, I always crank it up to see how fast I can go.  Of course, it only "reads" me about half the time.

[runawayjim]

Dan, on Mar 22 2006, 08:11 AM, said:

Is this true?   Or if your speed is: SPEEDING do you risk getting a ticket.  My friend from E.P. believes you can but I think its just a suggestion to obey the speed limit.

there's no camera on these things.  they just simply tell you how fast you're going.  honestly, i don't even understand why these things exist in the first place.  they really just take up street parking (or make driving on a street like mine more difficult and dangerous, especially at night when you can barely see the tires sticking out the sides of them).

the problem with them is that they don't even work to give the cops a sense of how fast people are driving.  you can't take an average speed with those things because from far away it doesn't get your speed well enough and shows you at something below the speed limit.

it really comes down to one thing... speed limits do good only when enforced... i see people doing around 40 down my street, a residential street with lots of children and elderly people... fairly narrow and always cars parked on the street (many times including my car).

[matt]

runawayjim, on Mar 22 2006, 08:19 AM, said:

there's no camera on these things.  they just simply tell you how fast you're going.  honestly, i don't even understand why these things exist in the first place.  they really just take up street parking (or make driving on a street like mine more difficult and dangerous, especially at night when you can barely see the tires sticking out the sides of them).

the problem with them is that they don't even work to give the cops a sense of how fast people are driving.  you can't take an average speed with those things because from far away it doesn't get your speed well enough and shows you at something below the speed limit.

it really comes down to one thing... speed limits do good only when enforced... i see people doing around 40 down my street, a residential street with lots of children and elderly people... fairly narrow and always cars parked on the street (many times including my car).

I don't think they are completely useless.  When they say the speed limit is this and your speed is THIS, it at least forces the driver to acknowledge that they are speeding.  Whether they do anything about it certainly depends on the driver.

[runawayjim]

matt, on Mar 22 2006, 09:32 AM, said:

I don't think they are completely useless.  When they say the speed limit is this and your speed is THIS, it at least forces the driver to acknowledge that they are speeding.  Whether they do anything about it certainly depends on the driver.

most drivers i know already know they're most likely speeding... remember, almost all drivers believe that the legal speed limit is actually ~10mph above the posted limit.  the fun ones are the ones that change from an amber color to flashing red when you're >10mph over the posted limit.  

[matt]

runawayjim, on Mar 22 2006, 09:36 AM, said:

most drivers i know already know they're most likely speeding...

True, but how many drivers have you seen and thought, is this guy even paying attention?  I see so many people doing such foolish things on the road that I'm not putting anything past anybody anymore.

[MikeR]

Good ProJo article on these traffic cameras!! -  obey traffic laws, or face a $75 ticket!

http://www.projo.com...24.1d4dde9.html

Edited by MikeR, 24 March 2006 - 08:14 AM.

[runawayjim]

MikeR, on Mar 24 2006, 09:13 AM, said:

Good ProJo article on these traffic cameras!! -  obey traffic laws, or face a $75 ticket!

http://www.projo.com...24.1d4dde9.html

i saw this on the news last night... there are camers at huxley and eaton, raymond and chalkston, and oakland and chalkstone... all activated now.  however, oakland and raymond are the same street, but i think they have cameras pointing both directions at that intersection.  the one on eaton only gets you if you run the light driving down eaton street.

a funny coincidence... one of my workers came in today and told me that the light at eaton and huxley froze today.  luckily, it benefited me, but he saw me drive in and about 5 min later the light was still red for him.  so it was a solid red for people on huxley and a solid green for people on eaton... and it wasn't changing.  i wonder if the camera could have screwed it up...

[Cotuit]

Providence starts red light camera photo system [Providence Business News]

[Garris]

runawayjim, on Mar 24 2006, 09:18 AM, said:

I wonder if the camera could have screwed it up...

This is about the start I expected, unfortunately...  

- Garris

[Cotuit]

I don't understand the sign on Steeple Street. None of the articles have mentioned it, and from my random looking up in the sky as walking by, I haven't seen a camera.

[runawayjim]

Garris, on Mar 24 2006, 02:04 PM, said:

This is about the start I expected, unfortunately...  

- Garris

amusingly enough, the lights are now flashing and they're working on the camera.  

Cotuit, on Mar 24 2006, 02:08 PM, said:

I don't understand the sign on Steeple Street. None of the articles have mentioned it, and from my random looking up in the sky as walking by, I haven't seen a camera.

i think the article in projo said there's one in the works for steeple/canal.