Red Light Cameras (Knoxville, Kingsport, Gallatin: taxes, living, most dangerous)

[klosk]

Glad to hear Kingsport is putting in Red Light Cameras!!!!!! They are at many intersections in Albuquerque and it has proven to work and the city makes a bundle off them. We started with just two at the most dangerous intersections and now have about fifteen installed in just one year. It is a good thing!!!!! If you don't want to get a big time fine, don't go through red lights!!!!!! The city has also added speed detection to the cameras so if you are doing wrong by running a red light and/or speeding you will get it. Hope Kingsport adds the speeding thing too as everyone seems to go way over the speed limit there. I thought I was driving in New York of Philadelphia.

[jabogitlu]

Knoxville has the red-light cameras too but I dread the day they install speeding sensors. The speed limits here are always set about 10 mph too low. Even the (five lane) interstate is 55!!!

[Queen1972]

Just a side note, here in MN, the MN supreme court ruled that Minneapolis had to take those cameras down, because they would ticket the owner of the car and couldn't ticket the actual person driving the car (for obvious reasons). They deemed it unethical or something like that. The city is appealing the ruling.

[atlantagreg30127]

Stumbled on the title of the thread.

Here in the metro Atlanta area there are numerous red light cameras. A state representative tried to get them taken down citing people's "civil right to privacy" being violated, but I'm pretty sure he's getting knocked down and they'll dump his proposal and they'll stay up.

Each area is different. If any of you have been here to Atlanta you've seen the way people drive. I have personally almost been creamed by people running red lights at full speed in the past, and only the fact that I'm a very observant person has kept me from getting killed. Privacy or not, I'd vote "yes" for a red light camera at every single intersection there is. People in general are just too irresponsible today talking on cell phones, dealing with kids, eating, etc., while driving. If it takes $200 tickets in the mail to make 'em start driving like people again, so be it I say.

[Queen1972]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Stumbled on the title of the thread.

Here in the metro Atlanta area there are numerous red light cameras. A state representative tried to get them taken down citing people's "civil right to privacy" being violated, but I'm pretty sure he's getting knocked down and they'll dump his proposal and they'll stay up.

Each area is different. If any of you have been here to Atlanta you've seen the way people drive. I have personally almost been creamed by people running red lights at full speed in the past, and only the fact that I'm a very observant person has kept me from getting killed. Privacy or not, I'd vote "yes" for a red light camera at every single intersection there is. People in general are just too irresponsible today talking on cell phones, dealing with kids, eating, etc., while driving. If it takes $200 tickets in the mail to make 'em start driving like people again, so be it I say.

I know what you mean, I hate driving through Atlanta. It freaks me out!

[jabogitlu]

I simply do not drive in Atlanta. Can't handle it. Nor LA. Bravo for having the noive to do it, though!

[zuuu]

I love driving through Atlanta. It reminds me of Gran Turismo.

[Ridgerunner]

Originally Posted by klosk

Glad to hear Kingsport is putting in Red Light Cameras!!!!!! They are at many intersections in Albuquerque and it has proven to work and the city makes a bundle off them. We started with just two at the most dangerous intersections and now have about fifteen installed in just one year. It is a good thing!!!!! If you don't want to get a big time fine, don't go through red lights!!!!!! The city has also added speed detection to the cameras so if you are doing wrong by running a red light and/or speeding you will get it. Hope Kingsport adds the speeding thing too as everyone seems to go way over the speed limit there. I thought I was driving in New York of Philadelphia.

Dittos, Klosk. I live in the Kingsport area. The number of traffic fatalities here in the last five years is almost unbelievable. Anyone who has a green light and doesn't look both ways before proceeding is living dangerously.

[Matt5797]

To be quite honest, the cameras are useless. The yellow light is too short and it really makes us drivers in Gallatin question whether we can safely stop or not. It does three things: 1) some people won't even turn right after stopping on red because our cameras tend to malfunction. I have seen these cameras flash and nobody was even running the light or going past the stop bar. 2) truck drivers slow WAY down, like 30 or 35 in a 50, because they know that the yellow light is too short. 3) people slam on the breaks, saw one dump truck nearly overturn trying to stop. And the people that ran the lights before seem like they are still doing it. IF indeed it is less red light running you want, ask your city's engineers to extend the yellow light time by 1 second (math over administration works better any day). There are so many studies that have shown engineering techniques are much for effective.

[LauraC]

Now, if they could only make a red light that also shoots out the tires of the driver that runs it...

But seriously, I find it to be a great way to make money for the town without raising taxes but if Tennessee doesn't have license plates on the front of the car, how does this work?