Red light cameras coming to the Metro

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:00 pm

bargainhunter wrote:
barattataxicab wrote:I think red light cameras are ok, if they are used properly and hairs are not split.
Hairs have been split in my experience. We were issued a ticket by a red light camera, but if a cop was watching the same thing happen, he wouldn't have given us a ticket for the violation.

Did you go in and have an officer review the infraction with you and see what he would have done in that situation?

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 7:20 pm

I'm sure they have very carefully calibrated the system to it's legal limit.

Post by **Coyote** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 1:09 am

Didn't know if I should have posted this in the incredulous thread.
When DTO starts driving again maybe this would work for him.
Not red light cameras - but an interesting similarity:

Arizona driver dons monkey masks to elude tickets

A driver has racked up dozens of speeding tickets in photo-radar zones on Phoenix-area freeways while sporting monkey and giraffe masks, and is fighting every one by claiming the costumes make it impossible for authorities to prove he was behind the wheel. "You've got to identify the driver, and if you can't it's not a valid ticket," said Dave VonTesmar, a 47-year-old flight attendant said.

It took Arizona state police months to realize the same driver was involved and was refusing to pay the fines. By the time they did, more than 50 of the tickets had become invalid because the deadline for prosecution had passed. Authorities have since stepped up their efforts to ensure that VonTesmar pays his $6,700 in fines.

On Aug. 19, the Arizona Department of Public Safety served VonTesmar in person with 37 tickets, mostly between 11 and 15 mph over the speed limit. The pictures accompanying the tickets show a driver wearing either a monkey or giraffe masks in VonTesmar's white Subaru, which has black-and-white checkered racing stickers on its sides and a sticker on the windshield that reads "Bucktooth Racin'."

Agency spokesman Bart Graves also said authorities have surveillance photos of VonTesmar putting on masks before driving and believes that they will convince justice court judges in three area cities that he was the one behind the wheel and must pay his tickets. "We have pretty strong evidence against him," Graves said. "We're just asking for his fines to be paid."

Graves said VonTesmar has repeatedly endangered public safety and that the agency is taking his case very seriously. VonTesmar, who said he simply drives with the flow of traffic, said if the Department of Public Safety does have surveillance photos of him on the road, it proves he's not a danger to other drivers. If he were, officers would have pulled him over, he said.

Arizona began deploying the stationary and mobile cameras on state highways a year ago, and through Sept. 4 had issued more than 497,000 tickets. Of those, about 132,000 recipients had paid the fine of $165 plus a 10 percent penalty, netting the state more than $23 million. Arizona is the first to deploy such technology on highways statewide. Many of the remaining tickets are either new, being appealed or have just been ignored. The state didn't have figures immediately available on the breakdown.

The backlash against the cameras has been fairly constant, however. Arizonans have used sticky notes, Silly String and even a pickax to sabotage the cameras. Many believe the shooting death of speed-enforcement van operator Doug Georgianni on April 19 on a Phoenix freeway was a result of anger over the cameras, although authorities haven't made that direct allegation. Three separate citizens groups are targeting the cameras in initiatives for the 2010 ballot.

Shawn Dow, chairman of the Arizona Citizens Against Photo Radar, said he's not sure whether VonTesmar has affected their cause. "It is very funny," he said. "In one sense it shows how silly this whole thing is, so you know I'm glad he's using a sense of humor. The fact that he did it 90 times, I don't want to drive around the guy." Dow said he finds it interesting that DPS conducted surveillance on VonTesmar.

"They're out staking out a guy with a monkey mask?" he said. "They watched him break the law and didn't do anything about it? If they had pulled him over, they could have pulled the mask off. It just proves photo radar is not about safety, it's about money." Officials say the photo-enforcement program is designed to slow drivers down and keep the roads safer. But VonTesmar sees it a different way.

"It's a peaceful act of resistance — that's what this country was founded on," VonTesmar said. "I'm not thumbing my nose at DPS, but photo radar is not a DPS officer protecting public safety. It's nothing but a speed tax."

RegisResident · Post by **RegisResident** » Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:13 am

That's funny!

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:39 am

City’s new red light cameras ready for use

. . . More red light cameras will be activated soon and if you are caught on film running a red light, the fine will match the price of being caught by an officer. . . .

The new cameras will be located at 30th Avenue and South Expressway for both eastbound and northbound motorists, Kanesville Boulevard and Harrison Street for eastbound and westbound motorists, and at 25th Street and West Broadway by Thomas Jefferson High School for eastbound and westbound motorists. . . .

joeglow · Post by **joeglow** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 12:06 pm

There was an article about a guy in the UK who got a ticket at a red light because he pulled ahead about a foot to let an ambulance through. Â I wonder what CB's law is on this.

bargainhunter · Post by **bargainhunter** » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:03 am

They have video on these, so it should clearly show what was going on.

icejammer · Post by **icejammer** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:09 pm

Red light tickets,questions on the rise

With more red light cameras installed in September, police say more citations have been issued and more people have been asking about how the cameras work.

Council Bluffs Police Special Operations Sgt. Pat Toscano said the number of tickets issued in October jumped to 2,800 with the installation of additional cameras. And calls regarding the tickets jumped as well.

Toscano said prior to the installation of new cameras at the intersections of 30th Avenue and South Expressway, Kanesville Boulevard and Harrison Street, and at 25th Street and West Broadway, citations remained at approximately 1,000 per month. . . .

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 8:05 am

emblem wrote:If you need my advice I don’t like red light in camera and either in metro because it not give good results I already prove it the picture yellowness pictures it worthless stuff need more technologies to give a such a great results on it like Hdd camera have an professional camera provide the best stuff.

IIRC, the cameras in there are fairly decent Nikons. Â If there is to be problems with image quality I would guess dirty plexiglass is to blame

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:04 pm

I just received my $107.00 ticket going through a red light on Broadway street in Council Bluffs. Â I have two issues with this, Broadway street is as much a cluster |expletive| as any street I have ever driven on and $107.00 are you serious?????

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat Dec 11, 2010 11:36 am

I believe that's lower than it used to be.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat Dec 11, 2010 11:47 am

No they went up. I've gotten two of them.

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat Dec 11, 2010 12:00 pm

Huh...I thought I saw some article last month about a CB councilman looking to lower the fine from $197.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:14 am

Linkin5 wrote:I just received my $107.00 ticket going through a red light on Broadway street in Council Bluffs. I have two issues with this, Broadway street is as much a cluster |expletive| as any street I have ever driven on and $107.00 are you serious?????

What's your point? Did you run the red light or not?

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:38 am

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:
Linkin5 wrote:I just received my $107.00 ticket going through a red light on Broadway street in Council Bluffs. I have two issues with this, Broadway street is as much a cluster |expletive| as any street I have ever driven on and $107.00 are you serious?????
What's your point? Did you run the red light or not?

Of course I ran the red light, I ran the |expletive| out of that light but lets make the ticket an even $50.00

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:21 am

No, let's make the ticket as expensive as it takes to get you to stop running the |expletive| out of red lights.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 3:29 pm

Yeah, I'm with Streets on this one.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 6:06 pm

If we're just going to go by being policed by cameras why don't we put them everywhere to deter all crimes. Those tickets are a scam.

Post by **Coyote** » Sun Dec 12, 2010 6:19 pm

From what I have heard the CTU has them everywhere - but usually refuge to let local police units from using their technology.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:46 pm

At the rate people run red lights here, the ticket revenue should be enough to drop the out-of-city wheel fee and bar and restaurant tax. Â I wonder how the recall suttle folks would feel about that.

I'm not normally a big fan of them, but it's so bad here, it might be appropriate. Â I've never lived anywhere where it was so blatant and common. Â When we first moved here, I wondered why people didn't take off as soon as their light turned green; then I realized it was because you have to wait for the last several cars to run through the red in the other direction!

TechnicalDisaster · Post by **TechnicalDisaster** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:44 pm

Seth wrote:At the rate people run red lights here, the ticket revenue should be enough to drop the out-of-city wheel fee and bar and restaurant tax. I wonder how the recall suttle folks would feel about that.

I'm not normally a big fan of them, but it's so bad here, it might be appropriate. I've never lived anywhere where it was so blatant and common. When we first moved here, I wondered why people didn't take off as soon as their light turned green; then I realized it was because you have to wait for the last several cars to run through the red in the other direction!

You could probably shore up the police pension fund just by ticketing people who turn left on red.

thenewguy · Post by **thenewguy** » Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:11 pm

the other day the lights at 10th & dodge were red and literally 8 cars continued through the intersection during a red light like a bunch of pricks.

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Red light cameras coming to the Metro

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