Red light cameras start operating in Colorado Springs (live, cost)

[doc1]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

I don't think it would be a rip off here. I see people going through red lights anytime I drive for at least fifteen minutes. It's the worst I've ever seen compared to NYS, Maryland, Virginia, D.C., and Bangkok. And I'm not talking about cutting it close. I'm talking about blatant disregard of red lights.

Originally Posted by LHS79

You got that exactly correct!

I wonder if it is the jerks that are complaining the most- you know, the ones that are still turning in front of you at busy intersections when you have the green light.

People can't wait for one more light cycle (!).

The ripoff is, as another poster stated, when your politicians and whoever they hand the juicy contract to, decides to shave time off of the yellow light duration.

Brings in a lot more cash for both the politicians and the holder of the contract.

It has happened.

Maybe CO's politicians are much more above board than elsewhere so that won't be a problem.

[Westbound and Down]

Many cities around the country that implemented these systems ended up actually losing money and eventually getting rid of them - it is a labor intensive effort having each image looked at, and it takes dedicated staff to deal with the disputes, complaints.

Also, initially, not only will accidents not suddenly go down, they may go up, as there will be more attempts by drivers to avert getting detected, more evasive driving and people accelerating through on yellow, more rear end collisions by people who slam on their brakes to avoid going through a yellow. It is a recipe for chaos.

Seen it all before. Fortunately I have no need to travel through these intersections, but it is likely to be a mess for a while.

[Brill]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Here in Peoria, AZ our traffic signals are demand-sensitive, i.e., the left turn signals will stay green so long as cars keep moving through the lane. Yes, there is an upper time limit on how long a left turn green will stay lit but generally it will stay green until the lane is empty. Wouldn't that be nice in COLO SPGS.

I sat at an intersection this morning where the green arrow was longer than the green light for traffic going straight. There were cars not even in line to turn that were able to make the left turn.

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Experience has taught me to look for the root causes of the anti-social behavior which we call 'running red lights' at intersections.

I lived 11 years in COLO SPGS and know first hand that the root cause of people running red lights is because the left turn arrows there are held to rigid (short) time allotments no matter how many cars are queued up in the left turn lanes. I've written on this before. I was expert at finding ways to set up my route to make all right hand turns if possible, or other tricks.

Here in Peoria, AZ our traffic signals are demand-sensitive, i.e., the left turn signals will stay green so long as cars keep moving through the lane. Yes, there is an upper time limit on how long a left turn green will stay lit but generally it will stay green until the lane is empty. Wouldn't that be nice in COLO SPGS.

COLO SPGS is broke. I've met the chubby old elf who runs the signaling aspect of the city's traffic empire. She has no money to modernize traffic controls. Trust me, much better technology and methods are available.

My experience is up in the Briargate area and better signal controls are especially needed at places like WB Research turning left onto SB Chapel Hills. I often sat through that one for 2-3 cycles so I'd go straight another block and turn left onto Explorer (no signal at all) and take that over to Chapel Hills. Then there's SB Voyager turning left onto SB Academy where I'd also go straight across then whip a quick U-turn to avoid sitting through another long cycle. Worst of all was EB Briargate Blvd turning left onto NB Chapel Hills (by the mall). There is a left turn lane but (insanely) no left turn arrow; you are on your own to turn left against that flow of cars.

In whatever city I live in, if I'm first in line at a left turn lane, the light is red, and NO cars are in sight, then I will go right through that red sucker because I'm sick and tired of wasting my life sitting at red lights when there's nothing coming. I did that back in Fairfax County, VA, and in COLO SPGS, and I do it here in parts of Sun City where old farts run things like they did 50 years ago.

But I'd not knock the red light runners, they aren't the sinners some make them out to be, they're just victims of a government whose hands are tied. Thanks again to TABOR, the fount of all such blessings in COLO.

Be nice if the funds generated by the red-light cameras went into modernizing the signaling systems. Hah! Hey, someone wake me up, I must be dreaming...

Mike - you need to get out more. There are intersections all over the valley of the sun, where there are no left turn arrows, and because of AZ law, people run red lights all the time - it’s standard practice.

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by DrDog

Mike - you need to get out more. There are intersections all over the valley of the sun, where there are no left turn arrows, and because of AZ law, people run red lights all the time - it’s standard practice.

The Moderator hates C/S (fact)- we are not taxed enough (!)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by LHS79

The Moderator hates C/S (fact)- we are not taxed enough (!)

No. I hate TABOR and what's it done to a city whose people got snookered by a crazy man. The obsolete roads, bridges, interchanges and lack of lanes on I-25 are the handiwork of TABOR and the anti-government attitude that's been planted in people's minds by cynics with a bad agenda who've used our free press to harm us with their lies and spin.

I get out plenty, traffic lights here in Peoria, AZ are light years smarter than what I left behind when I left the city. True, not all parts of Phoenix metro have the best signaling but I'm very favorably impressed here. IMO retirees cannot beat living in Peoria or Surprise, AZ.

[Lightning_Hunter]

I am only against this idea because of how they are sure to set it up. More than likely, they will send you a ticket if you are anywhere NEAR the intersection the instant the light turns red. Although I don't like people who blatantly run red lights, this will hand out a lot of tickets to people who just barely failed to clear the intersection as the light turned red.

I will sometimes decide to go through an intersection if the light is just turning yellow as I'm approaching, but not because I am impatient. I do so, because sometimes the person behind me is tailgating me at an incredible rate of speed, and I simply do NOT want another jerk rear-ending me and causing my pre-existing neck condition from an accident 15 years ago to get even worse. I have managed to avoid any and all accidents for these last 15 years (thank the Lord), and I will not let some lousy $75 ticket break this trend. I will do whatever is necessary to avoid accidents.

If they set up the camera system to have a 1-2 second delay of taking the picture AFTER the light turns red, I might be ok with it. Taking a picture the split-second the light turns red even if a car is halfway through the intersection is a bad idea, and will cause many distracted drivers to rear-end the law-abiding citizen who slams on their brakes.

Edit: This page is actually very interesting:
https://www.motorists.org/issues/red...ase-accidents/

In fact, I have yet to find any article with real statistics about how these cameras reduce accidents. In truth, all of them point to the exact opposite.

[Jimrob1]

I don't know how Colorado will deal with them. Many of have no use for them here in Florida. They are definitely in place here, and are obviously used for revenue. Tickets are way more than $75 here. Generally $150 and higher.

I'm fed up with them. Just last week $210.000. was used to move 3 Confederate statues from the downtown. They were moved to a little Veteran Park a half mile away. It was felt it wasn't politically correct to have them, in our small downtown. The statues had been there 100 years. Obviously traffic ticket money should be going to traffic safety. Not moving statues.

Don't let what goes on here in Florida happen in Colorado. Many states are no longer being allowed to set up these cameras. Evidently state residents are fed up, with the money being used in crooked ways. Good Luck.

[RocketDawg]

Haven't "red light cameras" been declared illegal in many states?

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by LHS79

Excellent news!

Seems like folks that obey the laws should not have an issue-

Would be nice to have the cameras at ALL intersections.

Originally Posted by LHS79

You got that exactly correct!

I wonder if it is the jerks that are complaining the most- you know, the ones that are still turning in front of you at busy intersections when you have the green light.

People can't wait for one more light cycle (!).

I've never gotten a ticket from a red light camera or a photo radar.

My problems with red light cameras are as follows:

1. Citations are unenforceable and have no teeth whatsoever. You get a ticket in the mail, and it doesn't affect your driver's license or your insurance. There's no real incentive to stop running red lights.
   
2. Red light cameras increase rear-end accidents significantly. https://abcnews.go.com/US/red-light-...ry?id=13925887
   
3. A more common-sense solution is increasing both yellow-light cycle times and the delay between one light turning red and the other light turning green. In addition, occasional on-site enforcement by officers at problem intersections will result in traffic infractions that have REAL consequences.