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Ohio Judge Rules Speed Cameras Are a Scam
Hugh Pickens writes "The Columbus Dispatch reports that southwestern Ohio Judge Robert Ruehlman has ordered a halt to a speeding-ticket blitz in a village that installed traffic cameras saying it's 'a scam' against motorists and blasting the cameras and the thousands of $105 citations that resulted. 'Elmwood Place is engaged in nothing more than a high-tech game of 3-Card Monty,' Ruehlman wrote. 'It is a scam that motorists can't win.' The village began using the cameras in September, resulting in 6,600 speeding citations in the first month, triple the population of the village of 2,188. Optotraffic installed the Elmwood Place cameras and administered their use, in return for 40 percent of ticket revenue — which quickly topped $1 million. But business owners and motorists struck back, charging in a lawsuit that the cameras hurt the village's image and said they were put into use without following Ohio law for public notice on new ordinances. 'This is the first time that a judge has said, "Enough is enough,"' said plaintiffs' attorney, Mike Allen, who called the ruling a victory for the common people. 'I think this nationally is a turning point.'"
you sound exactly like the "public officials" of New Rome, Ohio defending their utterly corrupt "village". As a native and lifelong citizen of Ohio I am ashamed of this too-common "tradition" of my state with $$$$$$-inspired enforcement of traffic laws.
"It is a scam that motorists can't win."
- so the judge got caught speeding in the cameras and is unhappy? :-)
Reading the article, it looks like the argument is that not enough notice was given before putting the cameras up.
Were the cameras correctly indicated according to the laws?
Are speed restriction signs correctly posted on the roads?
If so, surely you can "win" as a motorist by just *obeying the speed limits*?
If you've been caught speeding and fined, isn't your argument "previously I ignored the speed limits which were correctly marked, but now I got caught and fined without due notice they would actually enforce the speed limit"?
Can anybody comment on whether the cameras were signed correctly and the speed restrictions correctly flagged on the roads? Just trying to understand the dispute here.
I'd definitely agree that a company getting paid a percentage of fines has an incentive to collect fines and that seems very suspect, I wouldn't like that, but hey, it's the USA, you guys prefer payment-by-results model rather than payment-for-a-public-service model so I guess we have to ride with that.
If you are unhappy with being fined for speeding, and the cameras and signs are legitimate, then is the argument not with the cameras but with the speed limit?
Do people object to slowing down to 25mph near a school where children are walking? or is the argument about being fined when you choose to go at a higher speed there?
On some level, I agree with the "just don't speed" people. The real problem is the traffic laws themselves. They are far too rigid. Rigid laws can lead to rigid enforcement, which I don't think is generally what people want to see. Unfortunately, it is easier to write a ticket for "56 in a 55" and demonstrate that "my laser gun measured it" than it is to write a ticket for something like "driving at a dangerous speed for the conditions". I guess. I don't know.
Well, for starters, the lie by omission you are currently experiencing. You know, the piece of information that everyone has guessed is missing for such a small town to have arrived at such an astronomical number of tickets? Yeah.
'Tis quite alright, I've been in your position before myself, many times. It's human nature to exaggerate the facts, or to leave out a small piece of information that completely tilts the argument to the opposing side.
I am John Hurt.
Of course I drive in America, I even know the lights on my way to work are timed for 30mph despite the posted limit being 35. Seriously, it's not being prepared to stop that is ruining "American" transportation. Most driving problems are due to people refusing to leave five minutes earlier. Think about picking up a rose on your way while you are at it.
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.