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Posted on 04/29/2010 3:53:13 PM PDT by Ken H
Virginia governor creates new type of ticket camera, expands red light cameras and approves shortening of yellow lights for profit.
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) signed into law last week a proposal that would create an entirely new form of automated ticketing machine, an "airport business" camera. The move followed his approval last month of legislation designed specifically to revive his state's moribund red light camera program.
Beginning in July, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will have the authority to hire a private company to operate a photo enforcement system that would mail tickets worth a maximum of $600 each to the owners of vehicles accused of using the Dulles Access Highway while not on "airport business" (view legislation). This fourteen-mile free road is adjacent to a toll route, but is designed solely for the use of people driving to Dulles international Airport or patronizing a nearby hotel and gas station. The authority intends to raise a significant amount of money by accusing motorists of improperly using the road. The airport authority has not explained how it will know whether the road's users have a legitimate purpose or not, but the law leaves it to ticket recipients to prove their own innocence.
"Proof of a violation of the authority regulation governing the use of the Dulles Access Highway shall be evidenced by information obtained from the photo-monitoring system or automatic vehicle identification system," House Bill 1295 states. "A summons issued under this section, which describes a vehicle that... is alleged to have been operated in violation of the authority regulation governing usage of the Dulles Access Highway, shall be prima facie evidence that such vehicle was operated in violation of the authority regulation."
Another law taking effect in July, House Bill 1292, was specifically designed to encourage local jurisdictions to deploy red light cameras. Under a prior law, private photo enforcement firms were not allowed to directly access confidential information in Department of Motor Vehicle databases. The latter provision raised the cost of automated ticketing to the point where the programs would not turn a profit. Although nearly a dozen cities had enacted red light camera ordinances, only Virginia Beach went to the expense of operating a program with police officers handling the DMV information instead of a private contractor.
The city of Alexandria even announced a start date for its red light camera program and had functional cameras installed, but it declined to begin issuing tickets over the DMV provision. As first reported in the Washington Times, Alexandria officials also shortened the duration of the yellow light at the intersection of South Patrick Street and Gibbon Street in anticipation of camera enforcement. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, shortening the yellow at an intersection by one second can increase the number of tickets issued by 110 percent (view study).
In March 1999, the yellow time at the intersection in question was 4.0 seconds. The four-second timing reflected an increase from a prior setting that yielded, according to city officials at the time of the change, a massive drop in the number of tickets.
"At both Patrick/Gibbon and Seminary/Nottingham other factors significantly contributed to steep drops in our rate of red light running," Mark Canoyer with the Alexandria Police Department wrote in a 2001 email reprinted in a VDOT report. "In the case of Patrick and Gibbon the cause was a retiming of the lights immediately preceding this intersection which had a profound impact. Similarly, the retiming of the yellow phase at Seminary and Nottingham had a dramatic effect."
Despite the documented safety benefit from the increase, the intersection now has a signal timing lowered to 3.0 seconds -- the absolute minimum allowed under federal law. Engineer Robert M. Garbacz certified this timing as appropriate in Alexandria's February 19, 2008 application to re-start its red light camera ticketing program. VDOT accepted the signal shortening without question. The Virginia General Assembly voted to allow red light cameras in 2007, despite a report from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) that found that use of automated enforcement resulted in a significant increase in injuries and accidents (view study).
A copy of Alexandria's red light camera application is available in a 625k PDF file at the source link below.
Sounds like McDonnell is not much of a civil liberties republican...
Not sure where I read it but .. Somewhere they took these damn things out because .. Rear Endings sky-rocketed!
Arizona is trying this and it is costing the state more to operate the cameras than they are able to collect in ticket revenue. We’re hoping they are smart enough to just give up on the whole thing.
What was the difference between the R’s and the D’s again?
Crist just signed red light cameras into law in FL.
A new Virginia Department of Transportation study shows accidents increased by nearly a third where red light cameras were used.
It is the culture of that state. I went to college in Va. many years back. They are heavy into enforcement of traffic laws. Oddly NC just one state below them was much more live and let live. In Va. if they had a law about it, they enforced it.
Interesting, of the three national referendum Republican vote-getters of last November, Chris Christie has turned out to be the closest thing to the real deal!
Who would have thought in NJ?!!!
Rise of the machines?
Not to mention that they made radar detectors illegal to boot.
In the early 80s, I received a misload overload fine at Bland,Va. There was a gate installed in the right of way fence, a guy came down from his house and I paid him $79.00. A few miles down the road, I77, was a set of scales in NC. I was legal there. Being an owner-operator was so much fun.
They're not really clear on the concept of "evidence" I take it.
Photo Blocker. Can’t give out tickets if they can’t read the plate.
May not be 100%, but everything I’ve read says it works very well.
http://www.video-surveillance-guide.com/photoblocker-number-plate-spray-reviews.htm
I can't for the life of me imagine why someone hasn't run a proposition to outlaw them. Everyone despises them. The only people who like them are the municipalities, insurers, and RedFlex, and they don't add up to nearly enough votes to save the cameras. There are no big money interests on the anti-camera side, so the advertising would be overwhelmingly in favor of defeating the proposition and keeping the cameras, but I can't imagine that would hold back the tide as much as most people dislike them. I don't get it. I may have to talk to someone about getting a proposition written.
Position in the alphabet. Nothing more. Not in Virginia.
So all you Virginian FReepers, when I hit the brakes and stop the instant I see a yellow light, you'll know why.
Try to vote and campaign a little more intelligently next time?
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