Red Lights (Leon Valley, Balcones Heights, Howe: appointed, condo, low crime)

[spursfan]

Originally Posted by 1StarRanch

Ok for those opposed to traffic cameras....


Do you really expect the police to monitor each and every intersection? Impossible!

Cameras are the best route...there is no other way. Also, when they are found guilty of running reds, you fine the hell out of them. Make an example that they will never forget.

A friend telling another friend that they got fined $1000.00 for running a red, will make the other friend think twice.

So you would rather have Big Brother watching? awesome! This is the same argument that people use to justify having millions of cameras watching British citizens every day. Not to mention the fact that it will penalize you if you are in the intersection as the light turns red and if you are in the middle of the intersection turning left waiting for traffic to pass.
red-light traffic cameras
That is a pretty good website that gives some reasons why they should be opposed.

[ryneone]

Originally Posted by spursfan

So you would rather have Big Brother watching? awesome! This is the same argument that people use to justify having millions of cameras watching British citizens every day. Not to mention the fact that it will penalize you if you are in the intersection as the light turns red and if you are in the middle of the intersection turning left waiting for traffic to pass.
red-light traffic cameras
That is a pretty good website that gives some reasons why they should be opposed.

In all fairness they have them at almost every major intersection in Mesa, AZ. They really save lives. Plus all they do is take a picture.

Also there is no reason you should be in an intersection when the light is red unless like you said you are turning left. The lights in Mesa were set up not to take pictures of those.

[rd2007]

speaking of red light cameras... this one is funny Dallas' red light cameras may face changes as revenue estimate drops | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-redlights_15met.ART.North.Edition1.468120d.html - broken link)

I personally hate them because they make people (that know about them) drive like idiots. It's like a huge game of duck duck goose going through the intersection

[spursfan]

Intelligence Report | PARADE Magazine
Here's something else i found:
YOUR SAFETY
Do Cameras Cause Crashes?
Running red lights causes an estimated 95,000 crashes and 1000 deaths in the U.S. per year, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHA). To combat the problem, a growing number of states—23 so far—have installed cameras that take photos of the license plates when cars run red lights. A ticket or warning often is sent if a violation occurs. While the cameras have been shown to substantially cut down on drivers who run red lights, some research suggests that there’s a downside. An FHA study showed that rear-impact crashes increased by 15% at monitored intersections, possibly from drivers stopping short. (Side-impact crashes, one of the most dangerous kinds, fell by 25%.) Another study found that cameras had “a significant and large” negative effect, raising accident rates. A solution: Experts have found that making two changes before installing cameras—improving traffic signal visibility and lengthening yellow lights by one second—has helped to reduce crashes and improve safety.

[ryneone]

So basically it seems not matter what they do they can not save us (the drivers) from our selves.

[rd2007]

of course not.. It's like being a system administrator trying to keep a network secure. The only way you can 100% secure it is to not allow any human contact

[goodmanm]

Originally Posted by spursfan

An FHA study showed that rear-impact crashes increased by 15% at monitored intersections, possibly from drivers stopping short. (Side-impact crashes, one of the most dangerous kinds, fell by 25%.) Another study found that cameras had “a significant and large” negative effect, raising accident rates. A solution: Experts have found that making two changes before installing cameras—improving traffic signal visibility and lengthening yellow lights by one second—has helped to reduce crashes and improve safety.

This makes it sound like the accident is the fault of the person who 'stopped' which is absolutely ridiculous! The accident is the fault of the person behind, not paying attention, driving too fast, or not maintaining enough space between them and the car in front. Be realistic, if the light turns yellow and you have cars in front of you be prepared to stop.

Also, from the news reports I've seen here on red light traffic cameras they don't issue a ticket if you're already in the intersection.

[goodmanm]

Originally Posted by spursfan

So you would rather have Big Brother watching? awesome! This is the same argument that people use to justify having millions of cameras watching British citizens every day.

Have you ever been to a city centre in England? The cameras definitely make them a safer place to be.

[spursfan]

Originally Posted by goodmanm

Have you ever been to a city centre in England? The cameras definitely make them a safer place to be.

Are you even for real?
Britain named as one of Europe's crime hotspots | UK news | The Guardian
"Britain has the highest rate of burglary in the European Union and is also nearly top of the league for assaults and hate crime, according to a recent survey.

The EU crime and safety survey names the UK as a "high crime country" and says the risk of becoming a victim of the 10 most common crimes is, with the exception of Ireland, the highest across the European Union.

London also emerges as the "crime capital of Europe" with the likelihood of becoming a victim - mostly of a range of petty crimes - said to be higher than all other EU capitals and even higher than cities such as Istanbul and New York."

Britain: · has the highest level of assaults involving threats but not violence in the EU, with 5% of the public saying they have been a victim of assault

· is the most burgled country in the EU, with 3% saying their homes have been broken into

· has a high level of hate crime - 3% - and above-average rate of hate crimes that occur within the immigrant population

· has a high risk of theft from cars - 5% compared with EU average of 3.5%

· has an above-average level of pickpocketing and personal theft - one of only three countries in the EU, with Ireland and Estonia, to be above the average level.

[goodmanm]

The article is over a year old. Since we're doing selective quoting here's one from the article

It adds that despite the poor crime record British residents are reasonably happy with the performance of the police and are not overly concerned about burglary or safety on the streets.

At any rate, polls, depending on how they are conducted, can have skewed results.

The cameras add to the "safety on the streets". I lived there for over six years and have been in or through most if not all the major cities. The cameras are a valuable tool in fighting crime.