The camera never blinks

Washington Times ^ | Tuesday, May 28, 2002 | Tod Lindberg

[JohnHuang2]

Dear Department of Motor Vehicles Adjudication Services: It was so nice to hear from you after all this time. We had about given up. After all, it was Feb. 12 when we wrote in response to the "Notice of Infraction" we received from your friends at Automated Traffic Enforcement about going 36 miles an hour in a 25 mile-an-hour zone.

[JohnHuang2]

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Quote of the Day by McGavin999

[JohnHuang2]

Heads up

[goody2shooz]

I have no sympathy for the Lindbergs or for people who drive over 25 mph.

That slow speed is generally found only in residential areas, near schools and hospitals, or in areas with lots of pedestrian traffic. Too many children have been hit and killed by drivers who exceeded 25 mph. That kind of cavalier attitude of the Lindbergs towards speed restriction is always exhibited BEFORE taking a young life.

The cameras are doing a good job of catching people speeding or racing through red lights. The cameras work cheaply compared to posting police everywhere to catch law breakers.

[July 4th]

That slow speed is generally found only in residential areas, near schools and hospitals, or in areas with lots of pedestrian traffic.

I disagree. That speed is increasingly found in areas with no reason for a 25MPH speed limit. Municipalities are intentionally giving themselves a better chance of catching someone over the limit.

Case in point: Madison, Wisconsin. Essentially, the whole damn city is 25MPH. This includes country roads, city streets, and some of the 6-lane highways. However, it appears the police have given up on enforcement, as 40MPH+ is tolerated in many of these areas. The city would come to a grinding halt if people obeyed the posted limit.

[janetgreen]

BULL. The cameras are for one reason - revenue for the city. If you believe otherwise I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you...

[cva66snipe]

So you don't mind BIG BROTHER watching you on tv? How about a camera on your street? In front of your house to make certain there are no open containers in your yard or on your front porch ect, or that you are not violating local zoning ordinances like watering your lawn? How far do we go? The law used to stand in most states that violations required an eye witness to the traffic offense and one office could not park at one end of the road telling another officer via radio that car A was speeding write him a ticket for it. The officer operating the radar had to be the one to issue the citation. I still believe that should be the case. It's a Constitutional matter.

I have nothing against good old fashioned speed traps and good old fashioned police work as that is their job. But I do not and I will not support BIG BROTHER setting up SPY GEAR to watch my every move at point A, B, C, or wherever.

But you miss another point. These persons were being required to swear a statement they could not say for certain was true. That in any court of law if you do so is PERJURY a far more serious offense than a traffic violation.

[itsahoot]

BULL. The cameras are for one reason - revenue for the city. If
you believe otherwise I have some swamp land in Florida to sell
you...

Exactamundo

[mgstarr]

Is 25 slow enough for you? I mean what about 20 or 15 mph? The ignorance of your statement was astounding. As already mentioned on this thread, the purpose of traffic cameras is municipal revenue generation and not public safety.

[agitator]

You certainly picked the right handle for this topic. Excuse me while I puke. Ohhhhhhh, sorry I got some on your shoes.

[DCPatriot]

....d*mned Liberals.....

[aruanan]

Beautiful!

[SAJ]

Well, I had a profitable week, so what the heck.

Just send me your preferred size for a nice dirt-brown shirt, and I'll throw the armband in for free, authentic coloring, I promise, red, white, and black. I'll even pay the shipping. And, if you're really nice, I'll toss in an authentic gauleiter's belt, in realistic simulated black leather.

Or would you prefer an authentic green blouse of the Militsioneri Moskvi, circa 1987, complete with blue shoulder boards (rough equivalent of an NYPD Detective 2nd)?

No knowledge of the U. S. Constitution is required (as is obvious in your case), simply select your favorite item.

[SAJ]

Precisely. ^5s to you.

[joeyman]

Would you please take out your copy of the constitution and read that part about having the right to confront your accusser (a camera? I think not!) And then read the Declaration of Independence and the complaints against the King "he has sent a swarm of officers to harrass us and eat out our substance." Then take a long hard look at yourself and find out why you have such a desire to trade freedom for safety when you know you will wind up with neither.

The critical debate in the 21st Century is no longer left vs. right or Conservative vs. Liberal. It is freedom vs tyranny and I can't for the life of me figure out why you would align yourself with the latter.

[Michael Barnes]

Exactly..I live in a "country" type area of PA..the 25 MPH thing is a joke...Hell, tractor's are doing way more than that on our roads.

[backhoe]

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[Prodigal Son]

These cameras are everywhere in the UK and we don't have nice roads like in the US. Sometimes there's only one place to pass slow going dunderheads (or farm tractors) for miles and miles and miles. Guess where the gov't likes to put the cameras? Yep, on the straights.

You know what happens very often? Someone unsuspecting and unfamiliar with the area needs to go around one of the human snails who are driving 10 mph below the speed limit and they only have a couple hundred yards of straight (out of thirty miles) to do it with- so they step down cavalierly on that accelerator(endangering childlife for miles around), they whip around the slow going idiot and then halfway through their maneuver the flash goes off in the camera. They are startled, jam on the brakes and an accident happens. Sometimes little kids are hurt. My wife is a doctor in the Accident and Emergency dep't at the local hospital. She sees it.

It is a well known fact around here that the cameras are only for revenue and they are generally put in places where they will be most profitable ie places where even the best drivers will inadvertently violate the posted speed. In some instances, local communities will inexplicably have a stretch of road zoned for slower speed and then slap up a speed camera. It's all for the kids dontcha know, but it's funny how the city reaps so much financial benefit from these things.

[metesky]

Have all the teenage boys in America been so drugged into submission that they are not out at night draped in black, shooting these cameras out with BB guns and paintball guns?

Thinking back to all the crap we pulled between 13 and 16, I know my generation of brats would have made it our duty to screw up these cameras.

Maybe the doom and gloomers are right.

[mombonn]

Did you even READ the piece before you started your sanctimonious commentary? The camera is positioned to clock speeds while the car is going DOWNHILL. Talk about stacking the deck.

Sheesh

[goody2shooz]

Cars, even automatics, have gears you can shift down into whenever going down hill. I know. I live on hill with a 20 mph speed limit on the access road - lots of children on bicycles, slow squirrels crossing the road and 1300 lb Roosevelt elk that just dare you to hit 'em. Believe me, you don't want to hit an elk, ever. Very messy.