Posted on 05/14/2013 3:33:55 PM PDT by oxcart
TAMPA BAY, Florida (WTSP) -- A subtle, but significant tweak to Florida's rules regarding traffic signals has allowed local cities and counties to shorten yellow light intervals, resulting in millions of dollars in additional red light camera fines.
The 10 News Investigators discovered the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) quietly changed the state's policy on yellow intervals in 2011, reducing the minimum below federal recommendations. The rule change was followed by engineers, both from FDOT and local municipalities, collaborating to shorten the length of yellow lights at key intersections, specifically those with red light cameras (RLCs).
While yellow light times were reduced by mere fractions of a second, research indicates a half-second reduction in the interval can double the number of RLC citations -- and the revenue they create. The 10 News investigation stemmed from a December discovery of a dangerously short yellow light in Hernando County. After the story aired, the county promised to re-time all of its intersections, and the 10 News Investigators promised to dig into yellow light timing all across Tampa Bay.
Red light cameras generated more than $100 million in revenue last year in approximately 70 Florida communities, with 52.5 percent of the revenue going to the state. The rest is divided by cities, counties, and the camera companies. In 2013, the cameras are on pace to generate $120 million.
"Red light cameras are a for-profit business between cities and camera companies and the state," said James Walker, executive director of the nonprofit National Motorists Association. "The (FDOT rule-change) was done, I believe, deliberately in order that more tickets would be given with yellows set deliberately too short."
(Excerpt) Read more at mysuncoast.com ...
The movie “The Green Hornet” features some sound advice about what to do to red light cameras.
If someone enters an intersection between the time their light turns red and the opposing light turns green, does the system delay the opposing green light until the intersection is clear?
If it doesn't, that would imply the installers were more interested in revenue than in safety.
If it does, then running the red light should be deemed a courtesy violation rather than a safety violation. A $15 ticket for such a courtesy violation may be reasonable; a $150 ticket far less so.
One of my peeves with the overall philosophy of the cameras is that they encourage motorists in borderline situations to try to stop if they think they can, rather than proceed if they think they can make it before the light, even though if the drivers on the cross street are even remotely conscientious a driver who enters an intersection 100ms after his light turns red (and 1.9 seconds before the opposing light turns green) will pose far less of a safety hazard than one who tries to stop before the light but is unable to do so (and, as a consequence of having tried to stop, enters the intersection much later than if he'd continued at speed).
sadly, I can personally confirm this painful extortion...
IMHO, the proper thing would be a flashing red left arrow, meaning that motorists waiting to turn left could proceed into and through the intersection when the way was clear, but would not be allowed to enter the intersection until it was.
LEFT-TURN SIGNALS
Good idea. I actually engineer my stops with business on the right side of my travel direction.
Decisions when driving that decades ago were always up to the driver(s) are being dictated by govt.
I’m starting to see at a given signal, crossing-traffic lanes NOT being allowed a green at the same time, red one-way and then reversed slowing overall traffic flow even more.
>> Red light cameras generated more than $100 million in revenue last year in approximately 70 Florida communities
>
> Shakedown racket.
In England they have trouble keeping speedcams going because people destroy them... here we bend over and take it in the arse, presumably because we’d “get in trouble”.
...when did America quit being the land of the free, or the home of the brave?
/johnny
Seems to me it used to be if you drove at/near the limit most lights turned green at traffic flowed smoothly.
I’ve noticed many towns/cities in multiple states changed the timing so that there are many more red lights. Just about every block sometimes or just when you get to speed you have to slam on the brakes or get caught in one of these short yellows.
Safety? Carnage? Tickets and accidents make money for a lot of people.
At a normal crossroads intersection, there are will be twelve traffic flows (four straight, four right turns, and four left turns). Not counting the right turns, at most two will be able to proceed at any given time. If all of the four straight flows have higher volume than any of the left-turn flows, then having two straight flows and two left-turn flows go at a time will be optimal. In some cases, however, it may be better for an intersection's light cycle to have e.g. a 40-second interval which allows northbound straight and northbound-to-westbound turns and a 20-second interval which allows southbound straight and southbound-to-eastbound turns (if the volume of northbound-to-westbound turn traffic was higher than the volume of southbound straight traffic).
I saw a website that showed what they did.
They hung a tire on the camera, poured "petrol" in the tire, then set it on fire.
Effective.
“Shorter yellow light = more rear-end collisions.
Somebody who gets hit in the rear should sue the RLC company.”
They were going to make x on each red light camera in Tallahassee. But people immediately adjusted and stopped running the lights. So they adjusted the yellow timing to the state minimum; 3 seconds. Now people who live here slam on their brakes when the light goes yellow. People who don’t know about the cameras hit them in the rear. These intersections are so dangerous I drive miles out of my way to avoid the two really bad ones.
Note that it is GOP majority in the state House and Senate....and the governor is also GOP...who encourage this. We have Big Government GOP Liberals in this state
For any city to agree or put up with this is crazy.
I hate to be ripped off by the very institutions on which we are dependent. The city of Bastrop, TX has one of the most crooked red light camera systems imaginable.
On of them is on the main Texas State Hwy. 71 that runs directly through this medium size city. Many drivers on Hwy 71 approaching the light at the intersection CANNOT stop in time if they are traveling the posted speed limit. The time to stop a vehicle at the legal speed is longer than the amber light time.
These crooked bubbas have made it physically impossible to obey the law and safely stop. Bastrop, Tx is a shameful speed trap.
I had my car at the shop for repairs when a mechanic took it for a ride and ran a red light. We got a photo ticket a few days later, what a mess trying to get out of that one!
..they have cause more accidents then prevented....nasty rear enders when people panic and stomp the brakes as soon as it turns yellow
But there is only increased public safety in that simple, non-controversial and extremely effective solution, and no revenue potential!
So,there is absolutely no chance at all that it will ever be implemented.
Actually, a flashing yellow arrow means just that...turn left when safe to do so. They've been around for years now.
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