Traffic Camera Blocker

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Around here speeding sin is determined by judges. There was a quite a contest of will between the police and a certain judge about a decade or so ago. Judge told the police he was no longer going to hear cases of less than 10mph over and that he would toss them all. He even went on local talk radio to put the entire city on notice. Police decided to ignore...but they soon found out that wasn't such a good idea. Judge since retired but as far as I know the 10mph guideline remains.

 

[LVSteve]

Sorry Steve. It will not wash. Get a MUTCD (Manual of Uniform Traffic Devices) and read some. Lights can not even be used to control speed in an area. The formulas for light timing, sequence and lenght is complex and set by law.

A very informative and interesting document, I am sure. However, simply Google "traffic camera Arizona yellow" and read some of the threads. It would appear that not every municipality adheres to MUTCD as diligently as they might, and it is not just in Az. Indeed, in one of the Arizona jurisdictions, the company running the scheme got huffy when the city DID go by MUTCD. I am sorry, but the old saw of "follow the money" applies too often when it comes to traffic light cameras.

You may be surprised to learn that I have NO objection to speed cameras. You speed, you get busted, it's that simple. My only caveats are that they are good enough to ID the driver as well as the vehicle AND the area in which they are placed has the speed limits PROPERLY displayed. No BS like we had here a few years back when a contractor widening the road had lunched all the school zone signs and Metro went out there and handed out tickets left and right. IIRC, 9/11 or some other heavy event disrupted the follow up on that story.

 

[BUFF]

"Now if the speeder had an attitude and there was not any other laws violated, he could have deserved a ticket even if it was tossed."

I was in a justice of the peace court early in my career, waiting for my case to be called. A fellow had been written for 3 mph over, 48 in a 45 zone by an officer from another local department, a very small city department with employee high turnover. The driver hired an attorney.

The prosecutor put the officer on the stand, and the officer related the incident, which had included a rant of obscenities by the motorist.

The defense attorney didn't plan out his cross examination very well. He asked the officer why he had written a ticket for 3 m.p.h. over. The officer, an honest man, replied, "Because potty mouth isn't illegal."

Even the judge had to put her head down.

She convicted him. I think the fine was about ten bucks.

I never saw that cop again.

He is still one of my heroes.

 

[Mule88]

On the other hand, i guess a person could quit running red lights and speeding and save a bit of money.

 

[oldman45]

Another issue here is there is a difference between traffic cams and speed cams.

A traffic cam catches those that disregard a traffic light as well as gives a view of the traffic at the intersection.

A speed cam is just a pole mounted radar unit.

If one has the opportunity, which few will, look at the speeds vehicles make. A 40mph limit may see traffic hitting 60 to be common. A 60mph zone may see a lot of 70mph speeds.

Intersectional and rear end collisions account for a large amount of injury and damage. All of it can be stopped with proper signal obedience and slower speeds.

Some of the disregard of traffic signals is also due to cell phone use.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

The Brits obviously dislike traffic cameras and seem to have found a way to deal with them....

Speed Cameras

 

[Bullseye 2620]

The Brits obviously dislike traffic cameras and seem to have found a way to deal with them....

Speed Cameras

As well they should. Below is a graphic that I made from an photograph of an actual poster found in downtown London.

Bullseye

 

[oldman45]

As well they should. Below is a graphic that I made from an photograph of an actual poster found in downtown London.

Bullseye

If a person knows how many times a day they have their photo made, it would shock them. Did you go into any banks, retail stores, courthouses, hospitals, loan companies, service station, restaurant or any of many others? Then you most likely had your photo taken.

Did you log onto the internet? Then somewhere, someone got a track of where you went and what you wrote. Did you text someone on your cellphone, if so someone got a copy of it that you never met. Make a cell call, then someone overheard your conversation that you did not talk with.

This area just got a few billion dollars to build a cyber terrorism unit. They can monitor several thousand cell phone calls and internet sites as well as emails at a time.

Big Brother is here and getting bigger. Our freedoms are being trashed and there is little that can be done at this time.

Look at how the current administration today announced they will not prosecute the mastermind behind the USS Cole attack. We are being given hope and change but it is the wrong type of hope and change. I find myself hoping the current regime will just go away and that would be the change I long for.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

What you say is 100% accurate, Oldman45. I know it.

I only resort to making these graphics because it is about the only thing I can do that won't get me in serious trouble.

I urge you to get and read James Bamford's books on the NSA -- The Puzzle Palace, Body of Secrets, and The Shadow Factory.

NSA has at least the ability to capture every single electronic communication on the planet and to analyze them in real time. The computer they use to do this at Ft. Meade required the construction of a new dedicated 30 megawatt power plant -- big enough to power about 20,000 American homes.

This should not be a partisan issue -- this aggregation of unchecked power and the construction of a national security state has been going on for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations. Both parties are to blame. Please read Bamford's books before you decide to attack me on this point. In fact, the feuding and bickering between the two parties is exactly what makes the slow creep of tyranny possible.

I love my country and I understand that electronic intelligence is one of our major assets in a dangerous world. But I also know that the Founders would literally be up in arms over the manner in which technology, originally developed and deployed against our enemies is now being brought home to assure that those who run the show cannot be dislodged.

In a few days I'm driving up to visit a friend who lives near Monticello. I intend to stop there, and visit Mr. Jefferson's grave, to lay some flowers, and to pray.

We have a choice: "Move along, citizen. Nothing to see here." or, "Sic semper tyrannis."


Bullseye

 

[oldman45]

Bullseye, you did not say anything I can attack. You are correct.

While I am a Republican, I am first an American. Both parties have caused us to get to the point we are now.

Yet the current party in charge has openly sold us down the river. We are just the States of America now since we are no longer United. Our President went around the world apologizing to every nation for our conduct. He apologized to Japan for us bombing them wihtout mentioning they started it. He has failed to go after those that have killed American soldiers and American citizens while choosing to embrace other countries. His term of office is almost half gone and he has yet to attend a church service as President (the first President that failed to do so) and he has failed to salute the flag or cover his heart during the National Anthem. He has cost this country more and done less than any President in history while having the blessings of the Democratic Party.

Big Brother is going to be putting meters in our homes shortly to measure the amount of power we use because we will be limited on how much power we can use. Soon a new law will take place that will keep us from selling our homes unless it meets certain standards like having energy efficient windows, appliances, cooloing systems and such.

Sadly I feel he will get re-elected.

 

[DeathGrip]

Bullseye,You don't like "Fish n Chips"?

The other "imports" I can live without.

DG

 

[Bullseye 2620]

DG,

I refuse to ingest anything from a country where the people refer to themselves as "subjects" rather than as "citizens" . . .except Guinness and Bass, that is.


Bullseye

 

[DeathGrip]

I heard that!Guinness makes the best beer bater for "Fish n Chips" And is also good with pork roast.

I prefer my beer from Germany.

DG

Sorry for the thread drift.

 

[feralmerril]

My nephew got a ticket from san francisco. He has never been to frisco. He admitted the car did look like his even to him! One number was kind of blurry on the plate. He protested it and won. This was quite awhile ago.

 

[The Big D]

With due apologies for the thread drift, I DO NOT CARE HOW MANY TIMES I AM PHOTOGRAPHED OR WHETHER SOMEONE MONITORS MY CELL PHONE OR OTHERWISE TRACKS ME. I am a law abiding citizen.

Be safe.

 

[oldman45]

My nephew got a ticket from san francisco. He has never been to frisco. He admitted the car did look like his even to him! One number was kind of blurry on the plate. He protested it and won. This was quite awhile ago.

I got arrested in 1969 for a car I had traded in a year before being involved in a fatal hit & run in a town 250 miles away. It took several hours to get the dealer to say they sold the car to a guy who apparently never titled the car to him. All charges were dropped and my record cleared but since then I remove the tags when I get rid of a car.