Georgia: Red Light Cameras Struggle in Face of Longer Yellow

the Newspaper.com ^ | 03/11/2009 | n/a

[a fool in paradise]

With the way they stake out (3 or 4 patrol cars at a time in a lot to nab traffic violations) you’d think they don’t know where the crack houses are in this town (less than 5 minutes from the main police station) or where illegal aliens congregate to loiter while soliciting day labor jobs.

[Balding_Eagle]

God invented Utube for such situations. Not the time it happened to you, but someone could have gone back with a camera.

[Albion Wilde]

Although it is too early to draw any conclusions, accident data for January and February appear positive for the intersections with longer yellow.

You have to wade all the way to the bottom to get to this salient point. As long as there is no increase in accidents, the yellow time should be as long as possible. Anything else is just a confiscatory tax and an unnecessary burden on drivers.

I would also wager it's not "green" to slow traffic down in already-slow zones as a consequence of drivers trying not to get ticketed. It just dumps more of what the left considers terrifying emissions into the air.

[Albion Wilde]

...here in Toronto they have started installing countdown timers in the traffic lights and they are a great idea. As a driver and a pedestrian you know exactly how much time you have before the light turns red and can act accordingly. It is one of the better improvements that have come along.

That's a great suggestion. Major cities tend to have these at crosswalks -- I'm thinking Washington, DC, which has large red numerals, and Dublin, Ireland, which uses sound cues for pedestrians.

[Albion Wilde]

If governments wanted to curtail red light running or speeding, fines would be $1,000 and loss of license upon first offense. But they depend more on the revenue of their nuisance fines.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the War on Drugs never stops drug trafficking. Too much money, cars and jewelry to be made/confiscated by local police stations.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

I’m cryin’ a river here. (not)

[Albion Wilde]

Democrats will probably start pushing to eliminate the yellow light. ;-)

Yes, it discriminates against the taxing authorities.

[Luke21]

“The result has been devastating for red light camera makers as violations — and revenue —”

Boo freaking hoo.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“someone could have gone back with a camera.”

It happened about ten years ago. I don’t know if they’re still doin’ it. Even though I grew up in Brecksville, and later had a cordial relationship with my neighbor, who was the Police Chief at the time of the redlight stunt, I decided not to complain. I figured it was better to keep my mouth shut than to have a mad cop and his buddies watchin’ for me every time I drove through.

[American_Centurion]

Now if there were some way to sue for the fraud committed by the local government and Lasercraft for INTENTIONALLY SHORTENING the yellow period before this law was in effect red light cameras would be gone forever.

I wish.

[Luke21]

“Extended yellow lights may decrease violations, but if you want to decrease accidents, the best way is to delay the green lights.”

They did that here in Tucson. Three to five second delays on traffic in all directions in an already super congested city with it’s only freeway closed. But we get the cameras anyway.

[MediaMole]

The real safety improvement is an additional 1 to 2 second four-way red. That gives ample time for all traffic to clear the intersection. It also gives drivers waiting for the green time to check for a car that is really going to blow a red light.

The focus should be on safety, not revenue.

[XenaLee]

It’s a whole lot easier and safer for the cops to harass hard-working people on their way to work every morning. They might get hurt if they bothered the crack adicts and illegals.

[libertarian27]

There are set Federal standards for Yellow Clearance intervals.

Many lights aren’t set correctly and encourage red light running [by default, not the wish of the vehicle operator]

If you know what it should be, when you go to court and can prove a poorly timed light - your case is closed.
~Ask me how I know~

[Doohickey]

Lilburn voted to accept the suspension to give Lasercraft time to come up with a plan to increase the number of citations.

I detest government.

[ICU812]

There are numerous problems with these redlight cameras:

1. They increase the incidence of rear-end collisions (because people try to make unsafe stops to avoid the ticket)
2. They are not placed at the most dangerous intersections but rather the most heavily trafficked intersections presumably to maximize revenue.
3. They are run by private companies (so government is effectively farming out its law enforcement responsibilities)
4. The companies that run the cameras are generally paid a percentage of the revenue they bring in. (A clear conflict of interest, imagine if Highway Patrolmen were paid based on how many speeding tickets they hand out)
5. They do indeed sometimes shorten the yellow light time to increase revenue.
6. In my area at least if you wanted to dispute the ticket you had to pay it first and then appeal it. I read a news story about a guy who had his car stolen, the thief ran a redlight and the victim received the ticket. Even after producing a police report he still had to pay the ticket before he could begin the appeals process. Talk about adding insult to injury.
7. etc...

[jimt]

BUSTED !!

Great post exposing what a fraud red light cameras are.

Thanks !!

[AuH2ORepublican]

BTTT

[jimt]

With the way they stake out (3 or 4 patrol cars at a time in a lot to nab traffic violations) you’d think they don’t know where the crack houses are in this town (less than 5 minutes from the main police station) or where illegal aliens congregate to loiter while soliciting day labor jobs.

In my neighborhood, less than a mile in either direction from the favorite speeding ticket location are large (>50) groups of illegals loitering on the sidewalk, in parking lots and on the railroad right-of-way.

Somehow I think the illegal parasites are more important...

[phoneman08]

The caution lights were indeed shortened when the cameras were installed. I travel that road daily.

BTW, there have been more accidents at these camera controlled intersections since being installed. Some have been deadly with the rear ended vehicle forced into the intersection resulting in T-bone collisions.

Safety my arse.