No Mo Speed Cams?

[Maricopa]

Let's hope Big Brother takes one in the nuts here.

PHOENIX (AP) — More than a year after Arizona became the first state in the country to deploy dozens of speed cameras on highways statewide, threats to the groundbreaking program abound....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/us...na.html?ref=us

[Ron61]

It sounds as if the company that provides the cameras isn't doing to well either. We have a few scattered around here but I don't know of anyone who has gotten a ticket because of any of them.

Ron

[Excaliber]

I THINK I got one of those Red Light camera photo's taken of my truck just days after I arrived in Oregon.

My E-350, 14 ft Box Van, fully loaded. I'm sitting there at the light waiting for the green, got it, I goes. Slowly of course, I got a full load, making a turn, don't want stuff to shift position in the back. I enter the intersection and BAM the light turns YELLOW, I was like, "What?". As I approach the cross walk to exit the interesection, light turns red. Then BAM, two flashes of light, they nailed me for running a red light!

As I understand it, it does take TWO pictures. One shows the vehicle, the other shows when the red light turned red. I was well into the intersection when the light turned red. I theorize that is why I never got anything in the mail for a ticket? Unless their just waiting for me to show up somewhere so they can nail me then?

Time lag on the yellow light seems to extra ordinarily short.

[Ron61]

Ernie,

Maybe it was the time of day. I know the lights in Redding don't change at the same intervals all the time. During heavy traffic they stay green longer than late at night when there isn't much traffic and I almost think they can be triggered by a single car approaching as I go to Winco around 2 AM when I need to get anything and no matter if the light is red, as I start to slow down it turns green for me. Anyway glad you never got a ticket. I also read in the paper that if you get a ticket from a patrolman in Redding it costs more than one from the cameras. Not sure if that is so or not.

Ron

[Excaliber]

OH, that could be it Ron. I've "timed the light" (just counting, not accurate) several times since then and it always seems to be "long enough". I been scratching my head over that. That particular day (I can't recall what day it was) that light turned from green to yellow to red in the "flash" of a camera.

[bobcowan]

Notice the main focus of the article is the money? How can anyone believe it's all for your own safety? It's all about the Benjamins.

Love the statement from the cop. He dosen't understand why people don't like the cameras. Just do what we say and all will be well.

[Excaliber]

Just do what we say and all will be well.

...must be an Obama appointee.

[LoBelly]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

I THINK I got one of those Red Light camera photo's taken of my truck just days after I arrived in Oregon.

...
As I understand it, it does take TWO pictures. One shows the vehicle, the other shows when the red light turned red. I was well into the intersection when the light turned red. I theorize that is why I never got anything in the mail for a ticket? Unless their just waiting for me to show up somewhere so they can nail me then?

....

We've had those around here for years (since before I started driving)

My recollection is that the comparison of the first and second photos is used to determine if you have entered the intersection after the red light.

The camera's here have been upgraded to detect speeding cars at the same time (!) - so if you speed up to beat the red...

found a site explaining operation here: - expect the principles will be much the same


http://www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au/in..._cameras.html#

particularly like the FAQ:

Q. How much does the State Government expect to collect from these new cameras?

A. In the State Budget, the Government outlined that expected revenue from police fines would be $427.5 million in the 2003/04 financial year.

[Excaliber]

Oh man that is COLD dude! Trapping you for SPEED when you hit the gas to get through the micro second yellow light AND possible red light ticket too?

Now that just aint right.

[SandyC]

I was making a free right turn on a red light from the right turn lane of a 50 mph road onto a 40 mph road. The intersection photo radar said I slowed to 10 mph in the turn but didn't come to a complete stop. $248 plus $200 for traffic safety school for a total of $448! This is insane and way out of whack. In my opinion no reasonable police officer would give me a ticket for such a thing. I didn't know intersection photo radar even checked for free right turns. It was a clear and sunny day and the photos showed no conflicting traffic.

My court date is Feb. 4 -- we'll see if common sense prevails.

[DWRAT]

Sandy,
If you choose to attend traffic school you don't pay the fine of the ticket, just the cost of the class.

[Danr55]

Sandy, I believe from experience that you'll find that running a red light in Arizona is mandatory school. It's called Traffic Survival School and is expensive. Don't pay the fine as you will have to attend school anyway. Oh, and don't count on common sense. It's not about the safety. It''s about the $$.

I say this from experience.

[csx4910]

It is mandatory and the class often is the same price as the ticket so the only thing you gain is keeping the points off your record

[Ron61]

From LoBelly's post: The camera's here have been upgraded to detect speeding cars at the same time (!) - so if you speed up to beat the red...

I had one of the officers here tell me the same thing. Do not speed up to beat the red even if you are just entering the intersection. That will trigger the camera and you will get nailed. If you keep your constant speed it seems the camera won't take the picture if you are at the line to enter the intersection when it turns yellow.

Ron

[Mike Brasfield]

If you run a red light in AZ mandatory traffic survival school plus the ticket. Ticket is about $240, school $50 and it stays on your record. Just completed the above.

[joyridin']

I received one near my house. The law is so screwed up on these things, you don't even have to pay. They send it to a collection agency for the money..no points of any kind. If you still don't pay, that's it! The collection agency is not allowed to report it as delinquent.

[Cobrabill]

Anyone in Az.who pays a photo ticket is a fool.

[Rwillia4]

This is going to sound like a fishy story.

I was in AZ a few months back and saw a guy rear end a vehicle at a red light. They both pulled off. But the guy smartly positioned his car so that he could drive away once the other driver got out... sure enough. He hit the gas as soon as she closed her door. This is when I took up chase and drove for about 15 miles following him and giving the police updates of where he was. In doing so I blew lights and sped with him and noticed 3 seperate times that flashes went off.

I asked the cop that finally caught up to us and stopped the guy. "Uhh I think I might get some ticket from the cameras, I said. He said "don't worry about them they don't send them to out of state plates, or rental cars, ...and if you do get one, blow it off we'll never link it to you. "

so for the rest of the time I was there was speeding everywhere, LOL

[Excaliber]

Hmmm, out of state plates! I wonder if that's why I never got that red light ticket in Oregon for my truck, which was sporting California plates at the time.

Dang, I should have been blowing through all of them lights just to piss 'em off.

[Karl Bebout]

I've always heard that out of state plates would not be sent a photo radar ticket since if there is no response to the mailed citation, it must be hand delived within 90 days. Of course AZ is not going to send a process server out of state, so this makes for very selective prosecution. My biggest gripe against the program. Second biggest is that our beloved ex-governor Janet intened for the program to be a revenue source rather than a means to safeguard drivers from speeders.