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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Another reason to love the state: Arizona turning off speed cameras! |
| 2010-07-15 |
| While Nanny State jurisdictions like Maryland can't get enough speed cameras in place fast enough, other jurisdictions are having second thoughts about the devices that make a mockery of the presumption of innocence. Jalopnik reports that Arizona officials, who were among the first to use speed cameras, are now beginning to turn them off for fear of crossing privacy lines and, almost certainly the vastly more important reason, because they just aren't producing as much revenue as expected. That tells us two things: First, speed cameras are inherently flawed as tools for reducing average speeds because over time drivers become familiar with locations and adjust their pace accordingly. The result is the speed cameras cut speed for a small distance, but then drivers resume their normal pace. Second, if the cameras aren't producing revenues - because drivers are learning to avoid them - why would the lowered revenue making any difference if the primary purpose of the devices is supposed to be traffic safety? Obviously, officials view speed cameras primarily as revenue generators and all that talk about traffic safety is just so much hypocritical hooey. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 What happened to enforcing the law for the purposes of the law? As an aside, one of our recent highway bids included something called (more or less) a radar drone. I read the spec and it was a transmitter to make radar detectors think they were having their picture taken. Pretty clever, I thought, in an area where drivers regularly drive behind the barrels and thru the work zone, because they're so important. (DC suburbs) |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-07-15 06:10 |
| #3 What's the carbon footprint of a speed camera? |
| Posted by: bigjim-CA 2010-07-15 04:39 |
| #2 OK, on some of the highways, US60 and others. There are cameras at about every other off ramp, every mile. The issue Jan Brewer had was this was viewed as a revenue generating event. She was critical in removal of the cameras. With all that said, we have to remember that Arizona, Phoenix at least, has cross state traffic and snow birds. Before the cameras the traffic cruised through Phoenix at 70 or 80, now it slows to 70. No big deal until you realize the 75 year old snowbirds are on that road. It is flat frightening, I'm talking about old men turning around on the interstate and going against traffic because he missed the off ramp. The cameras may not have generated the revenue but it did slow down traffic, and that was critical. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2010-07-15 00:56 |
| #1 What about the likely increase in rear-end collisions due to people slamming on the brakes when they're in doubt as to whether they'll get through a yellow light? |
| Posted by: lex 2010-07-15 00:42 |