Posted on 05/29/2013 9:50:55 AM PDT by george76
Contrary to its claims, the City of Chicago’s red light cameras are not based on safety, according to an Inspector General (IG) audit of the program that brought in more than $71 million in revenue for the city last year.
The audit, released on May 14, sought to determine if the city’s 384 red light cameras were installed based on the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) “stated primary criterion of reducing angle crashes to increase safety.”
The IG found no evidence to support the city’s rationale for the program, which is to “increase safety on Chicago streets.”
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Chitcago needs top train its red light cameras instead on their murderous little criminals with guns for real safety measures. Shame on all those municipalities that use traffic cameras to extort the citizens for more cash— greedy tasbards.
I’m OK with surveillance cameras. You should have to get a warrant to view whats on them, though.
Red light cameras? Sure. If there is an accident, then view the tape. Robo-tickets? Absolutely not. They should be banned.
george76 ~:” Contrary to its claims, the City of Chicago’s red light cameras are not based on safety, according to an Inspector General (IG) audit of the program that brought in more than $71 million in revenue for the city last year. “
I wonder how much of that money went to the city , and how much went to the opertors of the cameras.
In Florida , in order to collect more money , they shortened the timeing cycle of the lights by more than 1/2 second; resulting in more fines.
It also resulted in more ‘rear-end’ collisions by people who slammed on the brakes so they wouldn’t go through a yellow caution intersection .
Camera surveilled intersection = $50.00 ticket
Take it to court = additional court charges just to oppose ticket
The number of ‘rear-end’ collisions has gone up dramaticly
All money rightfully belongs to the big-government/big-corporate criminal complex anyway.
There was a study in New Jersey which appears to be fairly accurate on this issue. The study found that the vast majority of Red Light Camera tickets were for people who made a right turn on red and only stopped for a couple seconds rather than the required number of seconds. It definitely wasn’t people blowing through red lights going straight. Its a complete scam no matter where its implemented.
One of the nearby cities to me, Oldsmar, FL, is smack dab in the middle of these shenanigans, and it's comical what's being done about it. Instead of using the small side road where the camera is located, people are cutting through the neighboring mall parking lot to get where they have to go. Traffic in the mall has gone up tenfold while the number of tickets they've issued from this particular camera have plummeted. They used this intersection, which happens to be right next to a mobile home park (read: elderly), as a test case to shorten the light cycles, and now the city is facing lawsuits from people being issued tickets for modifying their yellow light timers below the state required minimum.
Red light cameras are a bane and completely counter to the idea of "facing your accuser." I can't subpoena a camera to a court proceeding.
“They should be banned.”
Here in the little Town of Danville, CA, they tried to put in RLCs, but when a bunch of us showed up at the Council Meeting to remind them who they worked for, out they went. And that was at least ten years ago. Small government is the only government that has a chance of being controlled by the citizens.
My phone gives an audible warning for them and shows them on its Nav Map too. It is pretty hard for me to get caught by one.
We have two of them across the street from the fire station where I work. Both of them are designed strictly to get people making “free right turns”. If you stop, but not behind the white line... you get a ticket. If you stop behind the white line but do not wait longer than 5 seconds before you creep forward to see around the cars in the left lanes... you get a ticket.
How many accidents were casued by right turners before the cameras were installed? None, that I am aware of. The light is one of those which stays red for an unreasonable amount of time when no one is coming also. It has been a huge cash cow for the city.
I wonder how much of that money went to the city , and how much went to the opertors of the cameras.
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If the city made $71M ,, then the camera operator most likely got $284M ,, the cities usually get 20% ...
Those cities only get a fraction of the monies generated by those cameras.
Well, if it's anything like the Parking Meter Contract that dumb Richie Daley signed, at the end of the day Chicago will owe money to the camera company. That $71 million will have a big minus sign in front of it.
rarestia ~:” Red light cameras are a bane and completely counter to the idea of “facing your accuser.” I can’t subpoena a camera to a court proceeding. “
Oh yes you can demand to face your accuser; as well as the technician who processess the photo.
That right is already guarenteed
Of course , the State will oppose the request due to the expense
None the less, you have the right to confront your accuser - even if it is an inannimate object !
If enough people did this, rather than just roll-over and pay the ticket ,
there would be fewer camera lights in Florida !
rarestia
#1)Just demand to have them take the camera down from the pole, so that you can check the mechanism and the timeing,
#2)demand the technician who calibrated the camera to come in to give testimony in the presence of the camera , as to its reliability.
#3) have someone who has paid expierience as a timer to be available to conduct tests ( H.S. track coach, NCAA, etc.)
To save expense , the State will decline to do it , due to expense
Which is more important , your civil rights or a camera ?
Also , since the camera people already receive money from the State, their impartiality can be questioned.
Also , but cutting the timeing of the camera shot by shortening the yellow light by 1/2 second ,
they are in violation fo Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) guidlines for traffic lights.
I just avoid them altogether or slam on my brakes to stay behind the line. I’m not afraid of being rear-ended. Florida law is such that the person doing the rear-ending is at fault, regardless of circumstance.
This is good information to know, though. Thank you, Irish.
“Law Enforcement” is merely taxation by other means.
In many cases, the existence of redlight cameras INCREASES accidents due to just the scenario you describe.
rarestia ~:” I just avoid them altogether or slam on my brakes to stay behind the line. I’m not afraid of being rear-ended. Florida law is such that the person doing the rear-ending is at fault, regardless of circumstance.”
In Florida ,frequently the cameras are at intersections where they have the “ timed pedestrian crosswalks”.
I find that using the pedestrian lights as a timing guide helps to avoid the traffic camera photo opportunity.
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