 Red Light Cameras
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Looks like Big Brother is coming to Tallahassee. We're getting 6, half of them are on my way to work. 
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 Re: Red Light Cameras
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I'm on the fence about this, but I'm inclined to not mind these. Many motorcyclists are killed or injured in accidents from either being t-boned by a car running a red light, or when the motorcyclist runs one. If cameras (either active or dummies) help reduce these types of accidents, then I'm less inclined to think of them as intrusive. Besides, they are mounted on public property and monitor public roads.
Now, the other side of the same coin is that these may lead to speed cameras, which will slowly turn us into a UK style 'benevolent' police state. "it's for the good of public safety, mate!"
JB
"Long live the Duck Force!"
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Realistically, anyone who runs red lights is an idiot... and since I'm sure none of the members of this website are idiots none of us should have anything to worry about with red light cameras. If someone IS trying to kill me by running red lights on the roads I ride on, I'm happy to have them caught for it.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Im on the fence about this too.
On one hand its a good thing for safety(at stoplights).I agree with John on this.
Lets think about it, what diference would it make if the cameras take on a speed enforcement role? Does it matter if its a patrol officer with a speed gun or a camera? Cameras might be better,at least if its on a regular route you would know what to expect.The upshot is still the same(a ticket).
Bill.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."
-George Best
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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camera traps are just that traps.they are not really there for safety,they are there to generate revenue.we have a few here in Dayton,Ohio and the rules on them are tricky.they take a pictre of YOUR VEHICLE in the intetsection then send you a ticket based on license plate info.now let's say your teenage son runs the light in your car,guess what YOU get the ticket not your son.and before they grant you a hearing you have to pay the fine in advance.at least with a cop they give to the person in the vehicle a ticket,not the vehicles owner,and you still have the option of pleading not guilty in court,speed cameras/traffic light cameras are a blatant violation of our constitutional rights,innocent until proven guilty,reasonable doubt(as in maybe you weren't actually driving the vehicle) 
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Mar 2009
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Stickman Yogi
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Stickman Yogi
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Quote:
Looks like Big Brother is coming
Don't get me going on this topic... this here thread will get locked down or deleted. Hard to hold back though... REAL HARD!
Live to love, love to live.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Now, while I also hold somewhat ambivalent feelings about this whole red light camera issue, I WOULD like to state for the record here that I categorically AND without any reservations refute Matt's premise below... Quote:
....and since I'm sure none of the members of this website are idiots none of us should have anything to worry about with red light cameras....
(I mean, COME ON Matt...you've been here long enough to know that THAT'S a friggin' false assumption RIGHT THERE, dude!!!)  
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
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one very small itty bitty consolation when getting ticketed by a red light/speeding camera is that no points are placed on your driver's license. Just wait until the technology allows the camera to photograph the driver in detail.
Blowing gravel off rural roads
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Learned Hand
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I agree, people running red lights is a bad thing. Among the things I don't like about the cameras-
In rush-hour traffic, often get hung up in the intersection turning left and can't turn until red light stops oncoming traffic
People will slam on their brakes at the hint of yellow
When my daughters are driving my truck, I'll have to pay the ticket
More government
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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All the camera enforcement pictures I have seen take pictures of the plate and driver.
I am sure the systems vary state to state.
There was a case of a driver who got many red light violation tickets but was unable to be convicted because he covered his face in all of the pictures(reasonable doubt).
I guess my point is that I am unsure of the value to these systems in any other role than revenue gathering too.It seems to make sense that a driver is less likely to run a redlight knowing he will have a ticket in the mail if he does,thus making intersections safer for all road users.
This whole "one step closer to Big Brother" thing makes me laugh,your on camera and your behavior monitered far more than you realize already.
Walk in a casino,7-11,mall,parking lot,Wal Mart.....I guess the diference is that these(traffic) pictures are taken by the state, not a private company.
Sorry,dont want to get OT.
Bill.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."
-George Best
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Loquacious
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Loquacious
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no points?....really? Is that based on what state you live in?
no points, no foul as far as I'm concerned.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Yeah! Exactly Tom. Maybe it's that way in FL(is that really correct, Moe?) but in CA people get points when the camera catches 'em running the red light, and the points, along with the idea that one's insurance company is notified of the points and the subsequent rise in one's premium, is of course the REAL pain-in-the-behind.
And so, what would be the downside of receiving one of these citations other than just the solitary fine?
And BTW, while I was traveling through Europe I noticed that all lighted intersections over there are programed in such a manner that after the cross-traffic goes from yellow to red, the traffic going in my direction then goes from yellow to green, and thus giving the intersection about three to four seconds to clear of all traffic before each direction receives the go-ahead to proceed.
Soooo....the question is: Why don't we have this kind of traffic light sequence over here? Don't you guys think that that alone might help save a few lives in the good ol' U.S. of A????
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
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Back in the early seventies I was visiting in Chicago and was surprised to see yellow lights come on prior to the red light turning to green. Ready, Set, GO!
Here in Des Moines I've gotten used to people blowing through intersections well after they have a red light. Both on the bike and while driving my Mini I still check before I enter an intersection on a green light. The cops, of course, do nothing. They are too busy setting up speed traps to be bothered with people running red lights. After all, it's a lot easier to nail someone for driving with the flow of traffic with a radar than it is nail some jerk for actually endangering peoples lives.
They don't need red light cameras, they need to shift their priority from revenue to actual public safety.
We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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These were in use here and had to be deactivated for some
reason.It isn't worth the trouble, but I think a lawyer can have
the offince dropped in court rather easily. The trouble is that
you will pay the lawyer and court costs just to have a small
fine removed. It is kind of a hollow victory.
If there's nothing wrong with me,
maybe there's something wrong with the universe!
-Dr. Crusher
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Quote:
...they need to shift their priority from revenue to actual public safety.
Yep Larry! I certainly agree with you there alright. 
However, as billpvegas just stated in the "Driving Test" thread(which is also currently in the Lounge) where Bill answered Graham's[stretchermonkey's] question about what the driving test in the states is like, seeing as how Graham'll be moving here soon....
Quote:
The driving test in the States compared to the driving test in the UK is a piece of cake(bike and car).Its brief and easy.
I have taken both, in both countries so I do have an idea of what you will experience.
And so, maybe the first thing they ought to do is make the drivers test juuuuuuust a little harder, and stop givin' out drivers license based on the lowest common denominator approach. And I have the feeling that we use the L.C.D. approach over here is because it DOES help generate revenue, and NOT ONLY for the government, but, think of this for a second if ya will: The more incompetent Yo-yos who have a drivers license, the more cars will be sold to 'em, thus generating revenue for the private sector ALSO!!!
(yep...makin' it juuuuuust a little harder for all those Yo-yos out there to get their friggin' drivers license OVER HERE might just help in that there public safety thing that you were talkin' about TOO, wouldn't ya say?!...though, as I said, that might "slow the economy" a bit too, eh?!)
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Oil Expert
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Quote:
Now, while I also hold somewhat ambivalent feelings about this whole red light camera issue, I WOULD like to state for the record here that I categorically AND without any reservations refute Matt's premise below...
Quote:
....and since I'm sure none of the members of this website are idiots none of us should have anything to worry about with red light cameras....
(I mean, COME ON Matt...you've been here long enough to know that THAT'S a friggin' false assumption RIGHT THERE, dude!!!)
Meh... I was in a generous mood. 
As for the rest of the various comments, yes of course they're more about revenue raising than safety but since they're not exactly hidden (here they're a pair of big white boxes on poles on the sidewalk 20' back from the intersection) it's a fairly obvious trap and easy to avoid by simply not running red lights! I don't claim to know how they work in the USA but here they take TWO pics of your car in the intersection and if it's not moving you're obviously stuck in the middle, not running a red. There's also the point that you're not supposed to enter an intersection that is so blocked up that you can't drive through it so there's little excuse for getting stuck. On our machine generated tickets (speed & red light camera) there's a section you can fill in if you weren't the driver, where you can supply the name & licence number of the person driving and return the ticket. In some places (though not the state I live in) they put warning signs up on intersections with cameras - that's a great idea because then there's absolutely no reason to complain if you get caught trying to kill people with your car, so the behaviour actually stops for the most part.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not a fan of over enforcement or camera generated fines, and I feel that the hypocrisy of government agencies using cameras in a way that generates revenue while not stopping the behaviour is outrageous. This doesn't change the fact that driving through a red light without a really good reason (ie. imminent birth, not running late for work!) is tantamount to attempted murder in my opinion. For a group of people who are constantly complaining about the dangers of soccer mums driving minivans full of kids while talking on cell phones to implicitly support running red lights without fear of penalty is just as hypocritical. You can't have it both ways - either you don't make the road more dangerous for others, or you don't complain when others make it more dangerous for you.
Now speed cameras... they're an entirely different kettle of jaffa cakes. When you have mobile cameras hidden in places where the speed limits are lower than is realistic for the traffic conditions you're not doing anything to actually stop the behaviour, you're just making money off it.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Jan 2009
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I live in the sun downunder
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I live in the sun downunder
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Quote:
Quote:
Now, while I also hold somewhat ambivalent feelings about this whole red light camera issue, I WOULD like to state for the record here that I categorically AND without any reservations refute Matt's premise below...
Quote:
....and since I'm sure none of the members of this website are idiots none of us should have anything to worry about with red light cameras....
(I mean, COME ON Matt...you've been here long enough to know that THAT'S a friggin' false assumption RIGHT THERE, dude!!!)
Meh... I was in a generous mood.
As for the rest of the various comments, yes of course they're more about revenue raising than safety but since they're not exactly hidden (here they're a pair of big white boxes on poles on the sidewalk 20' back from the intersection) it's a fairly obvious trap and easy to avoid by simply not running red lights! I don't claim to know how they work in the USA but here they take TWO pics of your car in the intersection and if it's not moving you're obviously stuck in the middle, not running a red. There's also the point that you're not supposed to enter an intersection that is so blocked up that you can't drive through it so there's little excuse for getting stuck. On our machine generated tickets (speed & red light camera) there's a section you can fill in if you weren't the driver, where you can supply the name & licence number of the person driving and return the ticket. In some places (though not the state I live in) they put warning signs up on intersections with cameras - that's a great idea because then there's absolutely no reason to complain if you get caught trying to kill people with your car, so the behaviour actually stops for the most part.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not a fan of over enforcement or camera generated fines, and I feel that the hypocrisy of government agencies using cameras in a way that generates revenue while not stopping the behaviour is outrageous. This doesn't change the fact that driving through a red light without a really good reason (ie. imminent birth, not running late for work!) is tantamount to attempted murder in my opinion. For a group of people who are constantly complaining about the dangers of soccer mums driving minivans full of kids while talking on cell phones to implicitly support running red lights without fear of penalty is just as hypocritical. You can't have it both ways - either you don't make the road more dangerous for others, or you don't complain when others make it more dangerous for you.
Now speed cameras... they're an entirely different kettle of jaffa cakes. When you have mobile cameras hidden in places where the speed limits are lower than is realistic for the traffic conditions you're not doing anything to actually stop the behaviour, you're just making money off it.
Quite agree Matt.
FrankW
Ex Speedmaster rider, went to the Dark Side now riding an America.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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Gotta say ol' buddy...err...I guess "mate" in this case ...I'm in almost total agreement with just about everything you just said! However, in California at least(as I'm not sure how many others states in this union have the following on the books), the point about being stuck in an intersection WILL garner you a ticket nowdays, as it constitutes what they call "contributing to, or causing gridlock". And as you may have heard , California, and ESPECIALLY the metropolis of Los Angeles, has a whole lot o' cars AND a whole lot o' congestion, a whole lot o' the time!  (...hence mine and my lovely wife's impending move to the sweet AND far less populated environs of beautiful north-central Arizona and the MUCH smaller burgh of Prescott!...Ya-HOO!!!) 
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
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THOUGH...I've just NOW suddenly remembered that whereas California at present ONLY has these red light cameras in question here, Arizona has those darn movable SPEED cameras all over the friggin' place!!! (sooooo, DANG IT...I can't seem to win for losin' here, can I???!!!) 
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
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Quote:
Just wait until the technology allows the camera to photograph the driver in detail.
It's here and has been for year's.... 
Ed 
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Learned Hand
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Safety? NC and most of the data seen elsewhere says it's bunk.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
The District's red-light cameras have generated more than 500,000 violations and $32 million in fines over the past six years. City officials credit them with making busy roads safer.
But a Washington Post analysis of crash statistics shows that the number of accidents has gone up at intersections with the cameras. The increase is the same or worse than at traffic signals without the devices.
Three outside traffic specialists independently reviewed the data and said they were surprised by the results. Their conclusion: The cameras do not appear to be making any difference in preventing injuries or collisions.
"The data are very clear," said Dick Raub, a traffic consultant and a former senior researcher at Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety. "They are not performing any better than intersections without cameras."
And:
"CLEVELAND -- Are red-light cameras mounted for safety or are the cities just seeing green?
In a continuing investigation into Cleveland's red-light cameras, chief investigator Duane Pohlman dug into accident reports before and after the cameras were installed to see if Mayor Frank Jackson's safety claims are correct.
In an interview in February, Jackson hammered home his reason for backing traffic cameras.
Jackson: "Again, I am saying it is about safety."
But Jackson's snapshot of safety is not as clear as he claims.
NewsChannel5 requested and received accident figures from every traffic camera location in the city of Cleveland, comparing a six-month period before and after the cameras were installed.
There have been dramatic reductions. For instance, at East 30th and Carnegie, where after the camera went up, accidents were cut in half: 16 before the camera, eight after the camera.
Just down the road at East 55th Street and Carnegie, there were 22 accidents before the camera and 13 after.
But at other locations, such as Interstate 90 and West Boulevard, the rise in accidents was equally dramatic: eight before the camera and 17 after the camera was installed.
At Shaker Boulevard and East 116th Street, four accidents before the camera turned into nine after.
In the six-month survey, NewsChannel5 found 187 accidents at locations where traffic cameras were due to be installed in Cleveland.
After the cameras were mounted at those same locations, there were 184 accidents – nearly the same.
So, what about the mayor's argument that the cameras are mounted for safety? "
01010100 01110010 01101001 01110101 01101101 01110000 01101000 <3
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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I think that they figure if you run 1 red light without being caught you will run others and maybe cause a prang , lots of bike`s been run down at intersections from red light runners Double the fines i say 
What goes round comes round
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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What about this? http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/...llow-lights.arsDo you doubt that it could happen anywhere?
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maybe there's something wrong with the universe!
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Study: Longer Yellows Reduce Crashes (Texas Transportation Institute) The Texas Transportation Institute shows that engineering improvements are an effective alternative to cameras. The Texas Transportation Institute examined concerns that red light cameras were being used by cities that had not first exhausted available engineering alternatives such as improving signal timing and visibility. They studied individual police accident reports from 181 intersection approaches across three Texas cities over three years to determine the most effective solutions for problem intersections. The study found that improving signal visibility reduced violations 25 percent. Other changes could net between 18 and 48 percent reductions. Yet they found when the yellow signal was 1 second shorter than what the standard ITE timing formula specifies as a minimum, red light violations jumped 110%. Adding an additional second to the ITE minimum yellow yielded 53% reduction in violations, producing the greatest benefit of all the factors studied (2-6). When safety is the main concern, preventing crashes is more important than reducing violations. Yellow signal timing again proved most effective in reducing crashes. An extra second yielded a 40 percent collision reduction. The study also found that the vast majority of red light camera tickets are issued within the first second a light is red -- in fact, the average ticket is issued when the light has been red for half a second or less. Yet right-angle crashes, which account for the majority of red-light related collisions, "with one exception, all of the right-angle crashes occurred after 5 seconds or more of red" (5-16). In other words, tickets are being issued primarily for split-second violations where collisions are not occurring. Full study available in 1.3mb PDF format file. Key Statistic: The data in figure 2-11 indicate that there is a trend toward fewer red-light related crashes when the observed yellow is longer than the computed duration. (2-22) An increase in yellow duration of 1.0s is associated with an MF [crash frequency] of about 0.6, which corresponds to a 40 percent reduction in crashes. (2-20) Article Excerpt: It is also likely that there is a point of diminishing returns where further increases in enforcement effort bring little additional safety benefit. (3-2) If the frequency of violations is excessive, the violations are most likely caused by congestion, dense traffic streams, or conditions that make it difficult for drivers to stop. (5-6) Source: Development of Guidelines for Treating Red-Light Running (Texas Transportation Institute, 9/1/2004) Source: http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/04-alternatives.pdf
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Quote:
Safety? NC and most of the data seen elsewhere says it's bunk.
[snip] yada yada yada.. lots of stats showing accidents both up and down at intersections with cameras [/snip]
Quote:
So, what about the mayor's argument that the cameras are mounted for safety? "
Statistics are wonderful things that can be used to prove just about anything. Taking 4 cameras and comparing 6 months before and 6 months after looks great in a newspaper but as anyone who's studied stats (such as myself) will tell you, it's an overly simplistic view with too small a sample size to be truly representative. This is because statistics deals with averages and trends, and it's too easy with small sample sizes for one or two unusual results to skew the overall trend.
You need to sample a much longer duration (say two years before and after) and cover a much larger sample size (say 100 intersections) to really get a good idea of change over time. There's also a lot more to accident data than presence or absence of a camera. For a start, they tend to put cameras at busy, accident-prone intersections rather than quiet, safer ones... this means that anything unusual (say nearby road works, a large event like a concert, a neighbouring road closure forcing more traffic through the intersection in question etc) will have a much greater impact on the busier intersections than the quieter ones, which will cause spikes in the number of vehicles (and hence accidents) over a short period.
I'd also like to know if the intersections reported on had cameras that were sign-posted, or "stealth" cameras. Putting up cameras on a few intersections without informing people of which ones have the cameras does nothing to change traffic patterns and only generates revenue (which is why local government loves cameras and hates warning people about them). If you take two similar intersections with cameras and put big red signs up that say "WARNING! RED LIGHT CAMERA!" on one of them, guess which one will get the most violations? This all comes back to the question; are they really trying to reduce accidents, or just making money off road users? Things like speed & red light cameras can be great for reducing accidents at traffic black spots, or they can be great for raising money, but they can't do both at the same time. It all comes down to how they're used.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Yup, longer yellows make for safer roads, shorter yellows make for more revenue. Another easy (almost free?) method for reducing red light runners is to synchronise intersections... drivers who're frustrated at having to stop at every intersection are far more likely to run the lights. Government will always go for the money if no-one watches them and complains about it... there's nothing wrong with enforcing the road laws, as long as the road laws are "user friendly", but making them "user abuser" makes it easier to give tickets. As an aside I was reading an article about students in Maryland making fake licence plates to prank the speed cameras and I was reminded of a local story that happened a while ago. Apparently two enterprising teens distracted a cop manning a speed camera van while a third teen removed the rear licence plate. They then put it on their own car and proceeded to speed past the camera numerous times, generating lots of automatic speeding tickets sent to the police force. Funny buggers, these teenagers.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Fe Butt
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Hmmmm, interesting Rev. That's report seems to imply that those european-style signal light sequences which I brought up earlier in this thread, and which allows an extra 3 to 5 seconds for all traffic to clear intersections before any and all directional traffic receives their green light WOULD not only significantly contribute to far less side impacts but indeed ALL collisions within intersections, PERIOD, eh?! (well, you can forget about THAT idea right now, sir...we'll never see them impliment somethin' like THAT over here, and not ONLY because it makes MORE sense, BUT because in America "Time is MONEY" don't cha know, and EVERY friggin' second COUNTS out there!!!)  
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Quote:
I brought up earlier in this thread
Yeah, it was bugging me because I knew I had read official
documentation on it at some point and I just had to find
it.
If there's nothing wrong with me,
maybe there's something wrong with the universe!
-Dr. Crusher
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Is the tpoic the cameras themselves, or the government issue?
I definitely do not like the Gov getting more and more into my life, but as the saying goes, "s**t happens". It's going to occur more and more, no matter which party is involved. Democrat party, Republican party, Libertarian party, communist party, nudist party (Oh, wait, wrong forum!), are all filled with the same types of crooks, mostly of a lawyer background. It can be slowed down, nut never stopped.
As for the cameras themselves, I don't have any issue with them. I just try to make sure I don't run a red light. I'm in and around Charlotte NC during the week, and I really think there are less instances or light running than there was a couple of years ago. As far as where I live, Salisbury NC, the economy has squashed any plans for cameras anytime soon.
One last bit, about being in a intersection waiting to make a left turn, if you entered the intersection with a green light but have to wait, even till the light goes red, it's called 'Owning the intersection'. If I recall from my truck driving days a few years ago, it was legal just about everywhere except CA and 1 or 2 other states.
Jim F
Salisbury NC/York SC
"Are you a Mod or a Rocker?"
"No, I'm a Mocker!"
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,457
Learned Hand
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OP
Learned Hand
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,457 |
The idea of the Government watching me with a camera just rubs me the wrong way. Why don't they put cameras in your living room, after all, people do illegal things in their living rooms. What's next? Why have speed limit cameras when we have the technology to produce and require devices that would actually limit the speed of a vehicle? A simple transmitter on a speed limit sign communicating with your vehicle's electronic engine management system. If you modded around it, they could throw you in prison. That would make the highways safer, so it must be good.
OK, rant over, I'm starting my weekend.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,586 Likes: 1
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,586 Likes: 1 |
At least with a camera shot of your plate you don't gather or loose points.At least thats how it is up here.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821
Bar Shake
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Bar Shake
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,821 |
We have about a four second delay from one direction's change to red before the other changes to green here in Vegas at most lights.
It seems to cut down on the accidents and close calls.
The downside is that people get used to the delay and some just figure it gives them more chance to get through on red.
There has been talk of cameras, and quite frankly I have absolutely no sympathy for red light runners.
One of my buddies back in high school on his Honda CL350 lost his left leg below the knee to one of the asshats.
Contra todo mal, mezcal; contra todo bien, también
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,228
I live in the sun downunder
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I live in the sun downunder
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,228 |
IMHO. You run a red light you get everything you deserve & more.
FrankW
Ex Speedmaster rider, went to the Dark Side now riding an America.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,630 Likes: 7
Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,630 Likes: 7 |
Delays just encourage people to run the lights. If the assumption was that a 3/4 ton pickup truck was going to roll into the intersection just as the light turned green people would run red lights much less often. I noticed that people very seldom failed to yield the right of way when I was driving my old beater 1977 3/4 ton Chevy. Running red lights is MUCH more serious than speeding but the cops don't want to enforce it because it's harder to do and brings in less money.
We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,971
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,971 |
While I can agree that a full stop is always the safest choice, I prefer to at least keep a very slight movement going if possible, in the name of clutch life and fuel economy. Oh yeah - the laziness of not wanting to put a foot down is in the equation as well.  Postscript about stopping our vehicles - can we pretty please go back to the days when pedestrians had the good sense not to jump out in front of moving vehicles*? I know, I'm dreaming of the old world when we were allowed and even encouraged to run with the scissors, where common sense and need for survival allowed us the daunting task of crossing the street using our own wits. *For those wondering, "Now what the H is he talking about," Here on the east coast US, pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way all the time, no matter what. All moving traffic must stop so they can cross. Red or green lights are not part of the issue. They go, you stop. If there is a 40 ton load of propane tailgating you & ready to crawl up your butt, too bad for you.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,048
Learned Hand
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Learned Hand
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,048 |
Quote:
" Here on the east coast US, pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right of way all the time, no matter what.....If there is a 40 ton load of propane tailgating you & ready to crawl up your butt, too bad for you.
If my light is green, and they walk in front of me, and the above happens, my horn goes on a split second before I go through the cross walk. I'll take the ticket.
We're getting a little silly now IMO.
01010100 01110010 01101001 01110101 01101101 01110000 01101000 <3
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 154
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 154 |
Im curious if anyone has tried sending in a PICTURE of the money if they get a ticket for running one of these lights. As said before these thing are there for nothing more than to increase revenue. Nothing like being a law abiding citizen, driving along at night and being blinded by a FLASH (not caused by you) right before entering a intersection.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,630 Likes: 7
Monkey Butt
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Monkey Butt
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,630 Likes: 7 |
Quote:
Im curious if anyone has tried sending in a PICTURE of the money if they get a ticket for running one of these lights. As said before these thing are there for nothing more than to increase revenue. Nothing like being a law abiding citizen, driving along at night and being blinded by a FLASH (not caused by you) right before entering a intersection.
It's been done. The police sent him a picture of an arrest warrant. Point made I guess.
We all like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists. But when push comes to shove most of us are sheep who do what we are told. Worst of all, a lot of us become unpaid agents of whoever is controlling the agenda by enforcing the current dogma on the few rugged individualists who actually exist.
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 20,096 Likes: 2 |
Quote:
Quote:
Im curious if anyone has tried sending in a PICTURE of the money if they get a ticket for running one of these lights. As said before these thing are there for nothing more than to increase revenue. Nothing like being a law abiding citizen, driving along at night and being blinded by a FLASH (not caused by you) right before entering a intersection.
It's been done. The police sent him a picture of an arrest warrant. Point made I guess.
Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)
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Re: Red Light Cameras
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,839 Likes: 3
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,839 Likes: 3 |
what is the spray that some use to distort or fuzz out the plates?? i know some on here have taken pics of their bikes and the plates are blurred and i have heard of the spray but dont know what it is and where to get it. i hear it is illeagle but so what, if they cant get a pic of your tag then who will they sent the ticket to for a blurred tag??? 
ENJOY!!!!! NEWT!!!!!
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