Posted on 06/16/2017 7:15:34 AM PDT by george76
New questions are being raised over whether red light cameras in Pueblo are more about revenue and less about safety...
the city is giving drivers less time to get through those intersections which potentially increases your chance of getting a ticket.
...
Almost from the start, installing red light cameras has been a controversial topic, and now the focus has shifted to how they are timed.
...
According to the National Motorists Association Foundation, the yellow light at that intersection should last a minimum of 5.5 seconds.
News 5 Investigates discovered the yellow light is set to last a second shorter, at 4.5 seconds.
...
Paul Houston, a member with the National Motorists Association ..."I think they only work for one thing and that is raising revenue for the city and sucking money out of citizens wallets," he said. "I do not believe they work."
Since January 1, 2015, the three red light camera intersections in Pueblo generated $765,688 in revenue. The City of Pueblo gets to keep $160,094. The rest of the funds go toward maintenance and the camera company operator.
"There's a suspicion that municipalities alter the yellow light time down in order to generate more ticket revenue," ..
His suspicions have been proven true several times.
The following cities were caught issuing tickets at intersections with short yellow lights:
1. Chicago
2. Chattanooga, TN
3. Dallas, TX
4. Springfield, MO
5. Lubbock, TX
6. Nashville, TN
7. Union City, CA
In Union City, officials issued more than $1 million in refunds after issuing tickets at an intersection with a yellow light time 1.3 seconds below the minimum California state law standards.
(Excerpt) Read more at koaa.com ...
Until red light cameras came along, I always thought the white lane stripes were a visual indication to drivers that if they were doing the speed limit and were within the white stripes, the light would remain yellow until they passed through.
Any accident victims should sue the cities.
Are there data showing the cameras actually reduce accidents at those intersections? If not, then they don’t do what the politicians say they’re for (they lied).
This is generaly something a city does when they install red light cameras, they reduce yellow light times. They can also angle the camera so that it can give false tickets to those that are stopped legally.
***the yellow light at that intersection should last a minimum of 5.5 seconds. ***
I know of an intersection where the left turn arrow does not last that long! We often have to wait through two or three cycles to make a left turn.
I had a cop who pulled me over and actually told me that “yellow means stop!”
Thinking that I might avoid further hassle, I didn’t ask “Well then, what does red mean?”
Still got the ticket.
I wonder how effective a crossbow bolt would be? Real quiet, crossbows are.
I wonder how effective a crossbow bolt would be? Real quiet, crossbows are.
Yes. Almost Certainly. I don't even need to read the article, or know the first thing about the story.
“I wonder what the most effective way for disabling red light cameras is?”
Green laser.
One of the studies commissioned showed that "major accidents" - think T-Bone type accidents - had a statistically insignificant decrease at intersections with the cameras. However, "Property Damage / Minor Injury" accidents - think, rear-end fender-benders - went up dramatically at the same intersections. I'd infer that they were caused by people stomping on their brakes, trying to avoid a ticket.
The city's answer to this, of course, was to commission another study, and make sure that they were the ones who were paying the consultants so that the correct results would be obtained.
Good thought. But one would need to be closer and possibly observed. A scope on a .22 would work.
I wonder what the most effective way for disabling red light cameras is?
One of our younger relatives has heard that some of these companies are coming out with the ability to photo the driver and use the state dmv photo to identify the drivers!
There’s a traffic light near my house that crosses a major arterial, old Highway 99, which runs through Seattle. Lately I’ve noticed that the light has dramatically differing periods of green which seem unrelated to the amount of traffic.
One day, the light will be green for only 6 or 7 seconds even with heavy traffic. Later the same day, the light will remain green for 30 or more seconds even with light traffic. I don’t get it. It’s like the short green in heavy traffic is intended to snag impatient drivers who can’t believe how short the green was, and cheat a bit on the yellow.
The location is on the border of Hoboken and Jersey City, NJ where Patterson Avenue in Hoboken crosses the Light Rail tracks and turns into Patterson Plank Road in Jersey City. There are also two small roads feeding in — Marshall St in Hoboken and Mountain Road in Jersey City — but these are only a minor complicating factor.
The main thing is that at random times (and often enough so that Uber drivers avoid the railroad crossing and I personally have stopped riding Bus 87 which travels on that route... choosing to walk instead) all lights in all directions are red. There is no train, but all lights are red. For a long, long, long, long time.
Traffic engineering crews escorted by police units from both jurisdictions periodically come out and “study” the situation, but in the 12 years I am aware of there has been absolutely no change in this absolutely stupid situation. Like I said, it doesn’t even result in revenue. People don’t usually run red lights at railroad crossings and anyway I hardly ever see any cops around. I also don’t think there are cameras.
It’s just pure stupidity.
Somewhere there are whole departments of engineers and their supervisors and their supervisors’ supervisors all making pay and benefits and doing absolutely nothing. Year after year after year after year.
It’s no big deal to me. I never drive that way and on my commute I always walk and avoid the wait.
But it boggles my mind that it can continue... and that the sheep just accept it and don’t get angry and remove every single city official from both cities.
Whatever. I guess they just like just like sitting at lights.
Back in the days when I did ride Bus 87, BTW, I did occasionally talk to the bus drivers and say “you guys should report this”. But what do they care? It’s all in an 8-hour day to them.
Crossbow, the silent killer - Colonel Crittenden.
camera company gives use of red light cameras for traffic study for FREE (as long as they are exclusive ones)
camera company lobbys for red light camera tickets
law passes but you MUST have experience.
camera company is only one able to bid for public contract.
(+campaign contributions)
cha ching!(for those in rio linda it is a cash register sound)
why has there been no constitutional referenda to outlaw them?
at least outlaw tickets of citations from them.
The company and it’s political supporters pitch the cameras to the local government as a safety and revenue deal.
They promise the locality a lot of revenue and a little better safety.
Drivers adjust fairly quickly.
The revenue doesn’t get anywhere near the promised amounts.
So they shorten the yellow light cycle.
Drivers adjust fairly quickly again, but this time collisions increase because the yellow is so short.
I know that Phoenix did it, why not Pueblo?
Over the years I got a lot of photo radar tickets for gliding through speed traps which I ignored. Under Arizona law if they don’t process serve you in nine months after ticket is mailed it just goes away. For some reason the address of my drivers license is always out of date.
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