Red light Cameras

[kyrax12]

What is the general consensus on red light cameras here?

I just had a thought a moment ago that that camera would flash because I had to rush through a yellow light and the light turned red when I was in the middle of the intersection.

Was I breaking any laws here that would warrant a flash?

 

[God Mode]

Yes.

 

[OverVolt]

Lmao if you enter the intersection before the light turns red, whoever is in the intersection then has the right of way. Same rule that allows people to turn left when yielding after red when the traffic stops. Same rule that lets 2-3 cars do that LOL if they can squeeze into the intersection.

Gotta enter the intersection before it turns red. I saw a red light switch overtop of me and got no ticket even though it took a picture since I was inside the intersection.

Its a brutal intersection... Top of a hill with a small 1950's redlight. There is a speed camera just before so no flooring it to make it through the intersection to avoid the redlight camera. The sun during rush hour is typically cresting over the hill and blocks the light with light overload. The yellow is ~2seconds versus the normal ~4seconds.

On that particular day I was behind truck (U-haul size) that blocked my view even further.

I thought this thread was asking "revenue generation" vs "safety" and its revenue generation. although the cameras around here are reasonable... ~$40 fine and the cameras are pretty bad at catching people. They're down like 50% of the time.

Instead of spending $200k or whatever it is to install the camera, they could have maybe installed a bigger new LED stoplight timed at 4 seconds. Kinda of proof that its about revenue. They install them at intersections in dire need of a traffic engineering workover and instead just put up a camera and claim its now safer.

 

[Six]

I LOVE red light cameras. I'm so sick and tired of people who block intersections.

 

[Northern Lawn]

What is the general consensus on red light cameras here?

I just had a thought a moment ago that that camera would flash because I had to rush through a yellow light and the light turned red when I was in the middle of the intersection.

Was I breaking any laws here that would warrant a flash?

Perhaps speeding. If you enter when yellow you are good to go unless speeding. I got a ticket like that once because I thought I had to get to the far side of the intersection before it turned red. I was going 72 kph in a 60 kph.. they don't ticket if you go 10 kph over so really I was only going 2 kph over and it cost me $172. It's a crime.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Don't like 'em. Encourages folks to slam on their brakes.

 

[kyrax12]

Perhaps speeding. If you enter when yellow you are good to go unless speeding. I got a ticket like that once because I thought I had to get to the far side of the intersection before it turned red. I was going 72 kph in a 60 kph.. they don't ticket if you go 10 kph over so really I was only going 2 kph over and it cost me $172. It's a crime.

I was probably going 5+ MPH on the speed limit.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Strange this was just posted. I don't know what the hell I was doing on the way home, but I slowed down to a stop light that I know has a red light camera going the other direction for sure.

Anyways, I slow down. Stop. Green turn arrow comes on. I slowly (because I was in no hurry and there were a ton of potholes in the road) drive straight through the intersection and 3/4 of the way through realize I blew a red light.

No flash went off so I think by going so slow I confused the sensors.

 

[Northern Lawn]

Strange this was just posted. I don't know what the hell I was doing on the way home, but I slowed down to a stop light that I know has a red light camera going the other direction for sure.

Anyways, I slow down. Stop. Green turn arrow comes on. I slowly (because I was in no hurry and there were a ton of potholes in the road) drive straight through the intersection and 3/4 of the way through realize I blew a red light.

No flash went off so I think by going so slow I confused the sensors.

Yeah you stopped, maybe it stopped tracking you.

One time I saw an old man in a very old truck. I was stopped at the red light, he was coming from the opposite direction where the camera was. He must have saw the camera then hit the brakes but rather leisurely, he came to a complete stop in the middle of the intersection. LOL, the camera flash went off, I could see it even though it was in the middle of the day because I was facing it, I even heard it, THEN he backs up to the stop line. LOL, that was just funny to me for some reason.

 

[13Gigatons]

I hate red light camera's. I hate speed camera's as well.

It used to be you went out and drove your car and came home and if you didn't get a ticket you were in the clear.

Now I have to worry and wait.

PS: No more turning on red for me anywhere.

 

[Wyndru]

They are a lazy cash grab. Instead of hiring police officers we are replacing them with technology.

 

[BUTCH1]

Don't like 'em. Encourages folks to slam on their brakes.

Got caught in that situation last week, F-ing yellow's that last 2 seconds. if I had slammed 'em I would have risked getting hit from behind, it turned red just after half my car was in the intersection, I might get hit on this one..

 

[TangoJuliet]

I understand what they are being used for but I do not like how they are being implimented. It is also encouraging people to slam on their breaks prior to the intersection. I am just waiting for someone to plow into the back of me and I'm going to hire a lawyer about it.

What I also don't like is the fact that I cannot lend my vehicle to someone. That person can go on a rampage and run a zillion lights and I get sent the bill. Oh yeah, they'll tell you theres no points but still......

 

[rh71]

I was following my cousin and she just beat a yellow... so I gassed it to beat the following red and I did, but guess what... they had a speed camera there and busted me for 79kmh in a 50kmh zone. Fuggin fuck that's pretty clever of them. The pic showed me beating the yellow though haha. I think that's what they call you win some you lose some.

Anyway, I do like the concept of red light cameras (not the speeding-by-camera part) because people just have to learn to stop running lights and basically stop being in a rush on the roads. I was like that... when I was a teenager. As for the speeding camera part, speed limits are artificially low.

 

[kranky]

I have seen a marked increase in the number of drivers who blatantly run red lights over the last few years on certain roads, so I have no problem with the cameras. There's one intersection I pass through often (coming from a side road onto a 6-lane road) where you better wait even after you get a green light just to avoid getting T-boned if the road is congested.

They even retimed the signals so when the main road turns red, there's a 2-second delay before the side road turns green and you STILL dare not go without watching both ways if you are the first car at the side road.

These are people who are speeding to begin with, saw a yellow for 4 seconds, could have easily stopped, then run the red even though they weren't even in the intersection yet when it turned red. It's ridiculous.

And I don't think it makes sense to hire more cops when technology can get the job done at minimal cost.

 

[Juddog]

There was a red light camera on the way to my place of employment that I used to drive by every morning for several years. It never flashed on me once and I never got a ticket from it. I would watch other people run the light and get flashed though.

You don't have to slam on the breaks, generally, if you weren't speeding in the first place and driving the posted speed limit. Personally I like them since a lot of people around here tend to blow the red lights constantly. On an average drive to work I'll typically see about 3-4 different people run the red light. About 90% of those were speeding to begin with.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Don't like 'em. Encourages folks to slam on their brakes.

Don't follow too close then? :whiste:

 

[Jeff7]

They are a lazy cash grab. Instead of hiring police officers we are replacing them with technology.

This.


I don't like people blowing through intersections after the light's changed.
I also don't like an automated system to monitor people who are not microsecond-accurate. And of course you've got instances where municipalities will quietly reduce the duration of yellow lights to generate more revenue improve driver safety.

 

[vi edit]

If cities actually used them as a way to monitor problem intersections and adjust light timings, then fine. For example there are some interections in my town that get backed up 10+ cars deep at times and the left turn arrow is already yellow before the first two cars make it through. Then the next three cars behind blow through the red because it take 2 full minutes before the next turn cycle.

But likely they don't look at this data and just collect the money. Bleh.

 

[BUTCH1]

Don't follow too close then? :whiste:

Good advise, in my thing last week I had a guy shagging me about 1/2 car length behind and I swear they've timed the yellows quicker now that the camera's in place, if I attempted a stop probably would have gotten whacked, TBO I was 5 over the limit..

 

[GobBluth]

Got a $350 tickets for this same instance. A lot of times at intersections with a camera there will be a solid white line on the other side of the crosswalk. If the entirety of your vehicle isn't past that line when the light turns red, you're getting flashed. And also for speeding through the intersection (i.e. gun it to make the light).

 

[kyrax12]

So if it was at night and even if the Camera did flash at you, would you be able to clearly see it?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Move to Minnesota. Our state supreme court ruled that red light cameras are illegal.

 

[Raizinman]

Too often cities will shorten the yellow light to generate more revenue for their red light cameras. I suggest purchasing an Escort Radar Detector with GPS. The 9500ix will tell you where every red light camera is long before you get there.

 

[OverVolt]

Too often cities will shorten the yellow light to generate more revenue for their red light cameras. I suggest purchasing an Escort Radar Detector with GPS. The 9500ix will tell you where every red light camera is long before you get there.

Yes this. They spend money on a camera installation instead of paying to have the intersection re-engineered. Old, terrible, outdated ~2second lights with no sensors that jam up traffic since its an inefficient light. They install a camera as a "fix" to the intersection. Voila, safer. If you ignore the increase in rear end accidents

One of the counties near me is doing it wrong. They have the red light cameras at the nicest/newest intersection with a 4 second yellow. It catches no one. Its the good, honest county though.