Red Light cameras are being thrashed in Congress.

[Sluggo]

This is rich. Congress has come to the conclusion, that municipalities may actually be using red light cameras as revenue devices as opposed to traffic safety devices.

There are allegations that cities have manipulated the timing of the yellow and green lights, to trap motorists with a short yellow, AND raising the fine in some cases from < $100 to >$250. Some city I heard on the radio today, had revenues just from red light cameras of 16 million dollars.

 

[TripleJ]

If that's true, then they're bastards. They would get their tits sued off them!

 

[phatcow]

Heard the same thing this morning on the rush limbaugh show... mmmm... damn scammers.. makes me kind of glad that we dont have any of those things down here.

 

[sharkeeper]

This costs $75 in the City of Baltimore

Howard county has installed these and yes the yellows are shorter.

Cheers!

 

[Paulson]

We only have one stoplight in our town....

 

[Linflas]

Boy I know I am shocked! Eliminate due process and 4th and 5th ammendment protections and government runs roughshod. But doggone it those traffic violators are dangerous and what is a little curtailment of constitutional liberty when safety is at stake. /sarcasm off

 

[NutBucket]

But also remember guys and gals, tickets issued as a result of the cameras are some of the easiest to contest and win. Its not given that you will have the ticket voided, but at least a significant reduction in the fine.
Also, don't these things take pictures of the front of your car only? I can't recall. All I know is, the 3 cars our family has don't have front plates.

 

[MrBond]

I dunno, NutBucket, in Toledo, they haven't overturned ANY of the tickets that have been appealed. It's got to be a good moneymaker, they've gotten at least one a day since they've been up (4 months now) at $75 a pop. And with the crazy mayor in toledo, I wouldn't be surprised if they raise the fine for them.

 

[trmiv]

We don't have them in the city I live in(Newark,CA), but there are three cities in this area that are like one big city (Newark, Union City, and Fremont, CA), and Fremont now has those things everywhere. I would hate to think they are doing the short yellow thing here.

 

[Tauren]

Well if the police weren't out there chasing innocent speeders, such as myself, they could catch these dirty-red-light-ignoring b*stards!!

 

[Viperoni]

In Ontario, they're legal and they're already in use in Toronto, and my hometown, Brampton.
No problems with them.

 

[Double Trouble]

I have no problem with these devices being installed in the name of safety, but a lot of cities/townships/municipalities etc are turning this into a revenue stream :| A couple of places in Ohio actually got busted a few years ago for having &quot;changing&quot; speed limits -- they changed them every few days to confuse motorists from out of town and give them tickets. The Ohio Supreme court rules this was a violation of Ohio law, and all tickets issued in the townships in question within a certain period were null and void.

 

[sandorski]

Highwaymen?