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Cities View Red Light Cameras As Profit Centers
Houston 2600 writes "Chicago could rake in 'at least $200 million' a year — and wipe out the entire projected deficit for 2009 — by using its vast network of redlight and surveillance cameras to hunt down uninsured motorists, aldermen were told today. The system pitched to the City Council's Transportation Committee by Michigan-based InsureNet would work only if insurance companies were somehow compelled to report the names and license plates of insured motorists. That's already happening daily in 13 states, but not here."
because of the DROP in revenue. People weren't running enough red lights to pay for the system any more.
I am not left-handed, either!
Ahh, sorry, I have an update coming in. That should be "too bad for the motorists that Chicago is not a bastion of integrity".
You'd think more people would be worried when law enforcement is publicly billed as a revenue source.
It's why they'll never end the war on drugs or even legalize pot: the departments couldn't afford to lose all the free money they get from drug related forfeitures. And pot heads make very easy targets. Which do you think a cop would rather bust: a vegged out pot head or a well armed group of Mexicans with a meth lab in the middle of a corn field?
Some cities decided to shorten the yellow phase to have more violators and therefore more profit from those cameras. It's just too tempting. See reports here http://www.motorists.org/blog/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/ and here http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/trolling-for-trouble-in-the-red-light-district/
In the UK all cars are registered with the DVLA, so vehicle tax status is centrally controlled, and all insured drivers are entered into a industry wide database, so insurance status is centrally controlled.
And it works brilliantly (nope, no sarcasm) - if the car is untaxed or uninsured, and you are stopped because of that, you are liable.
While I'd like what you're saying to be true, with some people it simply isn't. I stop for yellow lights, and I routinely get honked at by people behind me for stopping when they wanted to keep going -- even when it means they would have been running a red light. This is particularly egregious when it's a left turn lane that has a red "no left turn permitted" arrow. I often (as in daily) see fully five cars go through the intersection after the arrow has turned red, obstructing cars that are trying to go straight through the now-green light.
This is not a matter of poor timing, just a matter of people deciding that it's more important for them to get through the intersection than to obey the traffic rules. We have horrific crashes around here on a regular basis because someone comes through the green light and hits someone who was running the tail end of a previous green that is now red.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
Two quick amendments.
:)
I agree with you--Chicago is corrupt. But Blagojevich was the State governor, not the City's. For that, you'd have to turn to Daley and his corrupt cronies (convictions pending). If you're going to point out the corruption present in my great state, please at least point at the right people.
Second, you're right about the assumption that people who aren't willing to pay for insurance aren't likely to pay a citation mailed to them. However, in Chicago, it is now possible for your car to get booted with two outstanding parking tickets. My assumption would be that these insurance citations would apply to that total. And since the Chicago Department of Revenue (yes, they don't even pretend it's for public safety...) can access outstanding tickets much more easily than they can insurance records, the probability of getting the Boot would be higher. Perhaps more people would pay.
Then the greedy-ass city council wanted more revenue, so they shortened the yellow-light timing. They now have yellow-light times that are around 2 seconds on most of the camera-watched intersections.
Do you have anything to back that up?
This report suggests that rumour isn't true, and the Texas Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices defines 3 to 6 seconds for the yellow light. ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/trf/final_report_rlc_1008.pdf (last page).
Correct. ITE shortened the yellow light timing in their 1985 updated standard. It was further reduced in 1989. This coincided with the time that New York City started testing red-light camera systems.
--You will rephrase your request for me to go to hell. Goto statements are not acceptable programming constructs
Your quotation is specious. You do have the right to walk, and travel freely. You don't have the right to drive a motorized vehicle.
Uh no. Your view is dead wrong.
Can you point me to the exact sentence in the constitution that specifically grants the government the authority to remove that right from me? Oh you can't? Then I have that right. That's how things work in a free country
Part of the problem is you don't always SEE poor red light timing. It is not just the 4 second amber light. Another example of bad red light timing is whent he police do this:
Road A is a major road, heavily trafficked - You get 100 cars a minute. Road B is lightly trafficked - 10 cars a minute. Red light provides 1 minute for both Road A and Road B. Surprise Surprise you get cars stacke dup on Road A while Road B sits empty, encouraging scofflaws to ignore the red light. Proper timing is MORE time for the heavy road and less for the light road.
Then there is always the standard, simple trick. Interesection A is a high traffic interesection. Like all such high traffic intersections, it is SUPPOSED to be an "actuated" one. That is, they detect traffic on it (usually via induction loops), and set the timing based on the traffic. But they decide to save money on this by installing detection on the minor street approaches and major street left turns only. Just a set amount of time for the 'core'. Oh, and that money you saved by not instlaling full actuation? Buy a traffic light camera, of course.
Oh, and then there is my favorite 'timing problem'. Heavy use lights sometimes are set up as 'coordingated'. That means it is set up so that when travelling say North on a major road out of the city at 5 PM, the lights as block 1 turn green before block 2, and lastly block 3. But OOPS, someone seems to have put in a fourth street that turns green just as light 3 turns red.
If your city TRULY has a red light running problem then the solution is TECHNOLOGICAL, not criminal. You need to actually put in the right actuated lights, fix the coordinatedion, and lengthen yellow lights so that someone can actually get through the interesection. But that costs money to do, while installing red light cameras is profitable (but only if your city has screwed up traffic lights). Only after EVERY problem street has had these solutions tried should you even red light cameras. (I haven't even mentioned the Speed Camera "Pimping" game, - teen age kids make up a fake license plate duplicating the car of someone they dislike then intentinoally run a red light with a camera installed).
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