Traffic cameras bring Ohio town to a halt.

[powderman]

 Red light: Traffic cameras bring Ohio town to screeching halt  By Michael Cipriano
Published June 07, 2013
FoxNews.com     

•    The people's business is on hold after a nasty spat over traffic cameras prompted Village Council members to quit.

Those traffic cameras drivers hate and municipal bean counters love have brought a small village in Ohio to a grinding halt.
Elmwood Place (pop. 2,188) has seen four of its six Village Council members resign amid public outrage over a flurry of fines issued by the cameras. The devices have raised nearly $2 million for the tiny Cincinnati suburb, but angry drivers and shopkeepers complain the ticket blitz from above could turn downtown Elmwood Place into a ghost town. Now, with two-thirds of the council gone, partly in protest over the cameras, the governing body can't reach a quorum to conduct the people's business.
 
“The public is bewildered with what is going on,” Village Councilman Jerald Robertson told FoxNews.com.  “There is a sense that they have no idea what we are doing.
“I have no idea what is going on with the council,” he added.

 

“The public is bewildered with what is going on.”

- Jerald Robertson, Elmwood Place village councilman
The standoff puts Elmwood Place in the center of a national controversy over traffic camera controversy. Cities and towns around the nation, working with private companies, have installed the cameras to catch drivers speeding or running red lights.
 
They then split the fine proceeds, generating big profits for companies such as American Traffic Solutions and Redflex Traffic Systems, and much-needed revenue for municipalities. The Washington Post reported that the District of Columbia has collected $84.9 million from tickets in the current fiscal year, including $29.5 million from the 10 most profitable speed cameras.
But not only do motorists hate the cameras, local merchants complain that they make potential customers steer clear of shopping districts - and even entire towns - where the cameras lurk, waiting to dispense costly citations.
 
Attorney Mike Allen is fighting back at Elmwood Place, filing for class-action status for a suit against the town on behalf of everyone who paid a fine meted out by an eye in the sky.
“We want to put money back into the pockets of people who already paid the tickets,” Allen told FoxNews.com.  “We feel what the village did was unconstitutional.”  He remains confident that his motion for class-action allegations will be granted.
 
Robertson described the status of the village council as “muddled.” Two new members have been appointed, and two of the members who recently resigned returned to their positions last week, though Robertson is unsure whether they will continue to serve.
Health problems were cited as the reasons for the resignations for two of the members, but Robertson believes the public outrage played a role in all of their decisions.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/07/red-light-traffic-cameras-bring-ohio-town-to-screeching-halt/?test=latestnews#ixzz2Vd12JNat

[spruce]

Citations issued using traffic cameras are unconsttutional.  They deprive people of due process.
 
If a PO issues a person a traffic citation he has to be able to positively identify that person as the driver of the vehicle.  When traffic cameras are used the citation is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle - there is no requirement to prove WHO was driving it.  Basically, they're charging the VEHICLE with the violation - and imposing the fine on the owner.  This on the assumption the owner was the person driving it at the time.
 
What happens when the vehicle is registered  to a GOVERNMENT  agency?  Do they charge the agency?  Do they investigate to determine who was driving the vehicle at the time of the violation?  Can't imagine why people don't think this is a fair system!

[lakota]

I just love how the companies that make the cameras get a share of the booty the town steals from the people.

[BBF]

I lived in a Western Province of Canada that had those cameras. Even several lawsuits against them was useless. You had a choice of disputing the ticket and since there was photographic evidence against you  as the owner of the vehicle the outcome was predictable.

 Disputing the ticket only added to you problem since the Court now identified you as the driver and not just the owner.
 
That province coupled a traffic ticket's monetary fine was an addition of  demerit "Points" These points had a direct influence on your vehicle insurance costs which was done through the Province. All three parts of your Driving Privilege was administrated by the same Govt. Agency. IE. Your Driver License, the Plates and your Insurance .
If you didn't drive the car yourself and the other person owned up to it he/she could pay the fine without revealing their name. 
 
In effect, paying the fine was the cheaper way to go and at least kept you from collecting demerit Points.
 
This program became a matter of an Election Platform promise by the party in the Opposition which won and they kept the promise to eliminate that "robbery".
 
 
At the time this program was in effect I worked for a Crown Corporation and any employee that was guilty of collection a traffic ticket had two choices. Pay it or find another Job. !!

[powderman]

In many cases they are a huge ripoff, but there are WAAAAAYYYY too many drivers who knowingly run red lights. I had most of the front of my car taken off by a punk running a red light in Lou several years ago. In Lou the tarc buses used to be one of the worst offenders. ORRRRR, we could simply obey the traffic laws. I'm 65, been driving since I was 16, never had a ticket, except for lic plate light being out, it was only a warning. POWDERMAN. 

[rdmallory]

When they install the camera they reduce the "hang time" of the yellow light. If they leave it the same as the lights without the camera there would be very little revenue."Google it" And accidents have been known to go up when the cameras are installed. All it is a revenue generator not an accident preventer.

[magooch]

Our town had them for a little while, but the people voted to get rid of them.  They're gone now and driving is less stressful.  Yes, there are too many drivers who try to make it through on a yellow and get nailed by a red light, but I don't think the cameras changed any of that.  The real problem is that there are too danged many stupid traffic lights to begin with.  They are especially a problem when used on roadways where the speed limit is 35 mph and above.


You're cruising along at 35 and there's a green light showing way up ahead.  You know that it has been green for quite awhile and that it will most likely change just about the time you get there.  You really can't start slowing down in anticipation of the light changing, so you keep it on 35.  Sure enough, when you're almost to the intersection the light goes yellow.  Now do you slam your brakes and try to stop, or do you try to make it through on yellow?  My observation is that most people will try to make it and a lot will get nailed by the red.  This isn't near the problem on 25 mph roadways, because the decision time is less critical.


My solution for safety and less stress would be either for the green to start blinking before it goes yellow, or to have a couple of seconds delay between when the light goes red in one direction and the other goes green.  This time delay should not be advertised and should be an unknown factor, but it would allow for safe passage through the intersection by those who miscalculate.  Actually at problem intersections a combination of the blinking green and the time delay would make it almost as safe as it could ever be.

[dakotashooter2]

The solution is simple. You get the license number of the politicians who voted it in place. You make "copies " of their license and tape them over vehilces all over the community. Soon all the politicians will have tickets building up and have to try sort it out. The cameras will go away.....................

[powderman]

The solution is simple. You get the license number of the politicians who voted it in place. You make "copies " of their license and tape them over vehilces all over the community. Soon all the politicians will have tickets building up and have to try sort it out. The cameras will go away.....................

 
DAKOTA. I love your style. POWDERMAN. 

[magooch]

You assume politicians drive their own vehicles.  In most cases, the cities, counties and state would be getting the tickets.