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City plan: double red-light cameras

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Started 2 years ago by deraj1013
Latest reply from Walker

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Bear
The woods
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I do wonder whether the increase in collisions at camera-enabled intersections will turn out to be temporary, and will wash out once people get used to them.

Regardless, I can't say I love them personally, but I don't object to them in the least. Speed cameras are an entirely different matter, though, since on the majority of freeways there seems to be an unspoken expectation between drivers and police officers that the de facto speed limit is equal to the posted speed limit plus 10mph. If that's how the cameras are set, great... but somehow I don't think it will be.

On the other hand, if speed limits were actually enforced, more people might be in favor of trains.... :-)

Posted 1 year ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Traffic studies talk about the 85th percentile speed, which IIRC is the average speed of the bottom 85% of vehicles.

Posted 1 year ago #
drew

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Bear wrote >>
Speed cameras are an entirely different matter, though, since on the majority of freeways there seems to be an unspoken expectation between drivers and police officers that the de facto speed limit is equal to the posted speed limit plus 10mph.

I have a hard time imagining that the people in a position to deploy speed cameras see it that way, which has always been my concern about the red light cameras. Slippery slopes are only slippery when they actually are, but the incentives are such that this shit is oil on black ice, 20 degree grade.

Concerns about being able to face your accuser seem problematic as well. In some jurisdictions, asking for camera source code has been enough to get tickets thrown out since the camera manufacturers aren't enthused about the prospect of making their code public and the code is, in essence, the accuser.

Call me crazy, but that seems fair to me. Couldn't see why one should take the machine's accuracy on faith.

Posted 1 year ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I was on a car board based in the UK and they HATE the speed cameras, apparently they're heavily used.

Posted 1 year ago #
Antonio

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Class Action lawsuit in Cleveland could lead to Cleveland refunding 40,000,000 in tickets issued.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/02/cleveland_traffic_camera_viola.html

I've never been snagged by one, so I don't know if Columbus operates in a similair manner.

Posted 1 year ago #
Antonio

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Baltimore scam caught red handed

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/16/baltimore-issues-over-2-000-red-light-camera-tickets-with-dead-o/

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Company's delay in posting red-light cameras irks city
Thursday, May 12, 2011
BY ROBERT VITALE
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

More than a year after city officials signed a contract to double the number of red-light cameras watching over Columbus intersections, the devices have yet to be installed.

READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/12/companys-delay-in-posting-red-light-cameras-irks-city.html?sid=101

Posted 1 year ago #