Here are some of the latest headlines regarding photo radar and red light cameras.
UK Parliament Slams Bogus Speed Camera Statistics
Dec. 27, 2008 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleOver the past several years, officials with the UK Department for Transport and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have testified that "good progress" has been made on national goals to improve road safety. According to government statistics, the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads continues to fall substantially, a fact used to justify the continued deployment of 7000 speed cameras throughout the country. In a report issued in November, the House of Commons Transport Committee called into question the reliability of these claims.
"Up to this point we have accepted the assurances of the government that its casualty data were robust and that good progress was being made on bringing down the number of people killed or seriously injured," the committee's report stated. "Given the significant yet unexplained divergence in the trends for deaths and serious injuries, and given the growing body of evidence of changes in the reporting rates, we can no longer conclude that good progress is being made on casualty reduction. Indeed, we are worried that ministers are not challenging their officials sufficiently and that policy-makers and practitioners are being lulled into a false sense of security."
In 2006, the British Medical Journal exposed the inconsistency between the number of injuries reported by police and the number of hospital patients admitted because of injuries sustained from traffic collisions (view report). Although some have charged that officials have been deliberately skewing the data to improve the image of speed cameras, ACPO Chief Constable Steve Green strongly denied the claim.
"One thing I would say absolutely categorically is there is no organized conspiracy to under-record," Green said.
Because it is much less likely for a road fatality to go unreported or miscategorized, the parliamentary report considered the number of motorists killed on the roads to be a more reliable measure of road safety.
"Whereas we have reservations about the accuracy of the serious injury data, there seems to be agreement that few, if any, deaths go unrecorded," the report stated. "These give a less controversial account of the government's success with reducing casualties. The reviews of 2004 and 2007 noted the disappointing progress in reducing deaths."
In the six years prior to the installation of speed cameras, the number of road fatalities dropped by an average of forty each year. In the past six years of heavy traffic camera ticketing, the average reduction remained forty. This lack of improvement came despite substantial advances in vehicle safety from antilock brakes to traction control and crumple zones. The report also pointed to a drop in fatalities in the US as a result of reduced driving because of high fuel prices.
The report recommended the creation of a British Road Safety Survey that would allow an independent body to measure the effectiveness of traffic safety programs using hospital data and not just police-generated data.
Despite the skepticism regarding official road safety data, committee members remained generally supportive of photo enforcement. Labour Member of Parliament Clive Efford, for example, wondered how much more the government might do to ticket drivers.
"Is the public ready to accept radical measures that may involve restrictions on personal freedoms that they have enjoyed up to now?" Efford asked.
Belgium: Hundreds of Speed Cameras Destroyed
Dec. 22, 2008 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleNearly one-third of the speed cameras deployed in Belgium have been taken out of service since 2004. The De Zondag newspaper reports that of the country's 1015 speed cameras and 248 red light cameras, a total of 412 have been knocked out of commission either through accidents or acts of sabotage. In Antwerp, 118 cameras have been damaged; in Flemish Brabant, 97; in Limburg, 81; in East Flanders, 67; and in West Flanders, 49 no longer work.
Officials estimate that vigilantes were responsible for at least half of the destruction -- including cameras that were stolen, set on fire and knocked over. Occasionally, the destruction has been unintentional. Some of the cameras have been rammed by drunk drivers while others suffered electrical failure on their own.
Despite the unfavorable public reception for the ticketing devices, the Belgian government will install 56 new freeway speed cameras and 25 red light cameras during the current fiscal year.
US DOT Report Confirms Speed Not Major Accident Cause
Dec. 15, 2008 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleUS Department of Transportation study finds only five percent of crashes caused by excessive speed.
Accident sceneAs lawmakers around the country continue to consider speed limit enforcement as the primary traffic safety measure, the most comprehensive examination of accident causation in thirty years suggests this focus on speed may be misplaced.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigated 5,471 injury crashes that took place across the country between July 3, 2005 and December 31, 2007. Unlike previous studies automatically generated from computerized data found in police reports, researchers in this effort were dispatched to accident scenes before they were cleared. This allowed a first-hand comparison of physical evidence with direct interviews of witnesses and others involved in the incident. NHTSA evaluated the data to determine the factors most responsible for the collision.
"The critical reason is determined by a thorough evaluation of all the potential problems related to errors attributable to the driver, the condition of the vehicle, failure of vehicle systems, adverse environmental conditions, and roadway design," the report explained. "The critical pre-crash event refers to the action or the event that puts a vehicle on the course that makes the collision unavoidable, given reasonable driving skills and vehicle handling of the driver."
Overall, vehicles "traveling too fast for conditions" accounted for only five percent of the critical pre-crash events (page 23). More significant factors included 22 percent driving off the edge of a road, or 11 percent who drifted over the center dividing line.
When driver error was the primary cause of a crash, researchers went further to identify the "critical reason" behind that error. Distraction and not paying attention to the road accounted for 41 percent of the errors. Ten percent of errors were attributed to drivers lacking proper driving skills and either freezing up or overcompensating behind the wheel. Eight percent were asleep, having a heart attack or otherwise incapacitated. A similar eight percent of errors were attributed to driving too fast for conditions and five percent driving too fast for a curve (page 25).
The NHTSA findings are mirrored in accident statistics provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The agency's most recent report lists "speed too fast" as the driver error that caused 2.9 percent of crashes in 2007 (view chart, see page 19). More accidents -- 3.8 percent -- were caused in Virginia by drivers falling asleep or becoming ill behind the wheel. Another 14.6 percent were caused by bad weather such as fog, rain and snow. "Speed too fast" was a more significant factor -- 13.7 percent -- in fatal accidents, as compared to 18 percent of fatal accidents involving alcohol and 9.6 percent caused by sleepiness and fatigue (PDF File view full Virginia report in 1.9mb PDF format).
In the NHTSA and Virginia reports, "too fast for conditions" does not mean exceeding the posted speed limit. A vehicle driving 10 MPH on an iced-over road with a 45 MPH limit would be traveling too fast for the conditions if it lost control, but it would not have exceeded the speed limit. The UK Department for Transport isolated cases where only the posted limit was exceeded and found that, "Exceeding speed limit was attributed to 3 percent of cars involved in accidents" (view UK report).
"Four of the six most frequently reported contributory factors involved driver or rider error or reaction," the Road Casualties Great Britain 2007 report stated. "For fatal accidents the most frequently reported contributory factor was loss of control, which was involved in 35 per cent of fatal accidents."
A full copy of the NHTSA report is available in a 400k PDF file here.
Your Red Light Ticket Could Be Null And Void Soon
by Carol Cavazos - Nov. 26, 2008 CBS 11 TV - Article VideoDALLAS (CBS 11 News) -- A judge recently ruled against one of the largest red light camera companies operating in Texas. The ruling could mean recent red light tickets could be thrown out. Those who paid for their tickets already might be able to get their money back.
Red light cameras have captured drivers in Dallas since December of 2006.
"You get this cute little picture of the back of your car with the license plate with a notice that you owe the City of Dallas money," said Attorney Lloyd Ward.
When Ward received a ticket from the city four months into the "Safe Light" program, it made him "extremely irritated."
But Ward is an attorney, so he contested and refused to pay the $75 fine. Then ACS - the company who took the picture - said it would report him to the credit bureau.
Ward looked into the city's agreement with ACS and discovered ACS had their own violations.
"You can not illegally obtain evidence for use in prosecution in any government body," he said.
Through city documents, Ward discovered ACS had a business license, but not an occupational license.
ACS collects pictures and information for prosecution. That falls under the category of private investigator. A license is needed for that kind of work.
Ward certainly knows about licenses; he has nine for his law practice. He thinks ACS should have had one for their private investigations. So he took the case before a state district judge.
"Judge Smith, in the 192nd, issued a ruling that they were in violation of the Texas Occupation Code for operating without a license," Ward said.
He also found two other red light camera companies operating without occupational licenses: ATS, which operates cameras in Arlington, and Redflex, which operates in Plano and Duncanville. Both are headquartered in Arizona.
"Since they want to live on the technicalities, they get to die on the technicalities," Ward said.
Ward continued his fight, filing federal class action lawsuits against the two Arizona companies.
"The money they have been kind enough to remove from the pockets of the citizens of this state, I think they should bring it back into this state and put it back into our coffers," said Ward.
Those lawsuits could put the breaks on red light cameras across the state.
A jury will decide damages against ACS. Officials there had no comment.
Glendale man arrested in ax attack on speed camera
by Meghan Moravcik Walbert - Dec. 4, 2008 5:20 PM The Arizona Republic - ArticleA Glendale man has been arrested and accused of vandalizing a photo enforcement camera with a pickax.
Authorities say a state Department of Public Safety motorcycle officer witnessed a man wielding a large ax Wednesday night, striking the metal and glass housing that protects a photo enforcement camera off 59th Avenue and Loop 101.
Travis Munroe Townsend, 26, was arrested and charged with criminal damage, interference with a traffic control device and criminal trespass.
DPS officials said the vandalism did not affect the integrity of the camera's operations, but a new protective housing had to be installed, costing several thousand dollars.
The camera was fully operational by 11 a.m. Thursday, officials said.
"Any type of tampering with a photo enforcement site can result in extremely serious, life-changing charges being filed against a person," DPS Director Roger Vanderpool said. "DPS officers will continue to be vigilant at all hours of the day and night and stand ready to respond quickly to reports or first-hand observances of persons tampering with or vandalizing photo enforcement sites in any manner."
While we admire the initiative of this man, it was probably not a good idea to perform so much damage. Refer to our protest page for ideas on things you can do that will disable the cameras effectively without causing permaent damage. Remember, property damage under $250 is only a misdemeanor. The criminal tresspass charges probably will not stick, as it was a public roadway, and the traffic control device allegations are also bogus as the cameras are not a control device (they aren't even mentioned in the state driver's manual). This is merely a scare tactic to disuade others from taking similar actions. --admin
Phoenix halts traffic-camera expansion
by Sadie Jo Smokey - Oct. 8, 2008 12:00 AM The Arizona Republic - ArticlePhoenix won't be expanding its red-light camera photo-enforcement program - at least not for now.
A summer pilot speed program, which focused on higher speeds on arterial streets outside of school zones, and right turns on red lights, had mixed results.
The Speed Van Pilot Program didn't produce significant numbers of violations to support changing the contract with vendor American Traffic Solutions,according to staff reports.
And while the Right Turn on Red Program resulted in an increase of more than 2,300 citations from June 23 to Aug. 22, staff recommended not modifying the current program.
Sandra Hunter, assistant city attorney, suggested the Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee direct staff to prepare a request for proposal for the Photo Enforcement Program. The contract with ATS expires in February.
Hunter said the city could ask vendors to submit proposals that:
- Offer different payment systems, such as a per citation rate, instead of a flat fee rate.
- Share or cover the cost of manpower to review images of violations. For every 10 additional cameras, the police department estimates two new police officer positions to approve or disapprove photo violations.
- Share or cover the cost of infrastructure. Additional cameras would also require additional office space and equipment to review photo violations.
- Provide flexibility to expand or modify camera locations. The city has 12 intersections with cameras and two vans for school zones.
- Create a contract that is cost neutral. By activating the cameras to record right-hand or left-hand turn violations, the city could issue more citations and collect more fines. The city loses approximately $395,000 a year running the program.
- Greg Stanton, a member of the subcommittee, said the goal of the Photo Enforcement Program is public safety.
"What we're trying to do here is maximize safety," Stanton said.
Third Largest California City May Reject Red Light Cameras
Oct. 8, 2008 TheNewspaper.com - ArticlePolice in San Jose, California urge the city council to drop plans for red light cameras over safety and manpower concerns.
Police in San Jose, California want nothing to do with red light cameras. Department officials made their views known at a city council transportation committee meeting on Monday where members were urged to drop plans to install traffic cameras in the heart of California's Silicon Valley because of the potentially negative impact on public safety.
"Studies reveal an awful lot of ambiguity and dissonance," Deputy Chief Donald Anders explained. "Some jurisdictions have noted a reduction in their traffic accident rate. Other jurisdictions have noted an actual increase in their traffic accident rate. The reason for that increase primarily seems to be rear end accidents. As people become more aware of a red light running program, a more vigilant attempt to try to ensure compliance with the law has actually resulted in an increase in vehicle accidents."
A number of independent studies have come to a similar conclusion (view studies). The department, moreover, is no stranger to photo enforcement. It worked with Australia's Redflex to issue photo radar tickets between 1996 and 2007, continuing efforts despite a 2000 state law that had outlawed the practice. After a successful Santa Clara County Court challenge to the program's legality, the city council finally dropped it.
To determine whether red light cameras might be beneficial, San Jose police conducted a special 39-week evaluation of traditional enforcement efforts. A total of forty-one officers were divided into zones containing areas with the highest accident rates and were directed to conduct a highly visible intersection ticketing blitz. The rate of accidents attributed to red light running during working hours -- when ticketing patrols were active -- was found to be 0.6 crashes per week. On evenings and weekends the rate was 0.3 crashes per week, consistent with lower traffic volumes.
"By national standards, our injury crash rate is approximately fifty-percent of the rest of the country -- an indication that with the limited staff we have in traffic enforcement that we're actually being quite effective and efficient with our efforts as they stand," Anders said. "Certainly (there is) always an opportunity to do better."
Police Chief Robert L. Davis filed a written report to emphasize that implementing a red light camera program would require diverting officers away from crime-fighting duties into a laborious vendor selection effort with all of the contracting paperwork needed to document the process. Once such a program was operational, Davis indicated he would have no choice but to divert Special Enforcement Team officers away from duties such as conducting DUI roadblocks to spend on the citation review process.
The deputy chief said Monday that he would rather have more human resources placed in public safety roles beyond just traffic enforcement. He also noted that the traffic division has already been doing its part to meet the city council's goals, increasing the total number of traffic citations issued by a third to 36,651 last year. Money could be better spent buying more of the new electronic citation-writing equipment that had dramatically boosted productivity, Anders said. The force also expects to add three more officers to ticket-writing duties by January 2009.
Despite the three-year decline in the city's traffic accident rates and the boost in ticketing, Councilman Sam Liccardo was not ready to give up on what he called the potential for "cost savings" from red light cameras. He asked the department to conduct another report, this time focusing on the experience of nearby cities with active red light camera programs. The committee will discuss the report at the next meeting following the report's completion.
Driver of photo-radar van arrested for DUI
by Erin Norris - Sept. 9, 2008 12:35 PM The Arizona Republic - ArticleSCOTTSDALE - Police arrested the driver of a Redflex photo radar van on suspicion of DUI.
Roderick M. Ruffin, 53, had a blood alcohol content over 0.15 on Saturday while he was driving to Tempe to set up the van, police and company officials said. The legal limit is 0.08, and Ruffin's blood alcohol level is considered an extreme DUI.
The motorist, who claimed to be a retired police officer, told dispatchers he saw the van hit the curb twice and almost collide with the vehicle in front of it, police said.
The motorist, in a tape of a 911 call, described the van to a dispatcher.
“On the back of it, it says photo enforcement vehicle on the back and the guy is deuced,” the caller said.
An officer stopped the van near Second Street and Scottsdale Road after he witnessed the van weaving from lane to lane, police said. The officer was able to smell alcohol on Ruffin's breath. Ruffin was asked to perform field sobriety tests, which he failed, police said. Ruffin was then arrested.
Ruffin was driving the van to Tempe at the time, where he would have put it into operation, said Redflex spokeswoman Shoba Vaitheeswaran.
“We stand by our mission to help improve safety on the roads and we have a zero-tolerance policy for drinking and driving,” Vaitheeswaran said.
She also said Ruffin, who had been with the company for one year with no issues, has been terminated.
“Redflex performs background checks on all of its prospective hires and strives to employ only those members of our community who take public safety and public trust seriously,” Vaitheeswaran said in a statement. “The company deeply regrets and apologizes to the community for the incident, and expresses its gratitude to the Scottsdale Police for making the arrest and removing the offending driver from the road.”
Scottsdale contracts with Redflex rival American Traffic Solutions for photo-enforcement services. Both firms are based in Scottsdale.
Man arrested in speed-camera incident
by Erin Norris - Aug. 28, 2008 05:52 PM The Arizona Republic - ArticleSCOTTSDALE - A Scottsdale man arrested Wednesday night was accused of disrupting the operation of a photo radar van parked in the 6800 block of East Shea Boulevard, police said.
Jason Shelton, 35, was holding protest signs and blocking the van's cameras, Officer Dave Pubins said.
Scottsdale police said they arrested Shelton for refusing to give officers his real name and obstructing government operations.
Police later learned that Shelton and two other individuals were protesting at two other photo radar van sites earlier that evening, Pubins said.
They are investigating whether the other two individuals were obstructing the photo radar as well. Scottsdale has used photo enforcement to catch speeders and red-light runners since 1996.
Last Friday, a grass-roots group called CameraFraud.com gathered at Scottsdale and Thomas roads to protest the use of photo- enforcement cameras. The group's efforts reportedly started in part because the Arizona Department of Public Safety is preparing to add up to 100 fixed and mobile speed-enforcement cameras to the state's freeways.
Meet Silver Spring's Would-Be 'Speed Demons'
by Robert Thomson - Aug 17, 2008 Washington Post - ArticleAlittle after 4 p.m. June 25, Terence and Helga Brennan turned their sensible subcompact onto Wayne Avenue, heading for home in Silver Spring. Driving up the avenue, they passed a Montgomery County speed enforcement camera, which is supposed to capture images of drivers going more than 10 mph over the 30 mph speed limit. It took their picture.
Terence, 68, and Helga, 76, paid the $40 fine promptly after receiving the citation in the mail. Like many people, they felt it wasn't worth the hassle of contesting the ticket in district court. Like very few, they also thought the county needed the money.
But the Brennans had some questions about their encounter with high-tech law enforcement.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Do you know of any technical problems that might cause a speed camera to register the wrong speed? We were supposedly clocked at 100 mph in a 30 mph zone during rush hour on Wayne Avenue between Sligo Creek Parkway and Dale Drive.
The road is winding there, and the traffic light at Wayne and Dale, where we turn left, is just a short way ahead of the cameras. We and our neighbors, who know well that even 40 mph would be dangerous at this stretch, wonder how the camera could come up with such a reading.
This speed would be impossible on the Beltway at the best of times, and we have never in our life driven at this speed. An inquiry to the Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit in Rockville has not been answered.
Helga Brennan
Silver Spring
You read that right. According to an official Montgomery County document, Terence Conway Brennan chose 4:12:45 p.m. on June 25 to pilot his tiny Toyota Echo past a well-known speed camera like he was Kyle Busch approaching the checkered flag in No. 18.
Any machine can break. But before the camera citation was mailed to the Brennans, it was reviewed, certified and signed by a technician with Montgomery's Safe Speed Photo Radar program, just like thousands of other citations sent out since the state-approved pilot program began last year.
So who could say? Maybe if we had a video, rather than a snapshot, we would watch Mr. Brennan, with his bride of 40 years at his side, spin the slicks when the light turned green at Sligo Creek, aim his four-cylinder tin can up the grade, wind around the two big curves in time to hit the century mark after three-tenths of a mile, then, after a tenth more, decelerate in time to make the 90- degree turn at Dale Drive.
"Well, the last thing I remember, doc, I started to swerve . . ." No, as Jan and Dean warned us, you won't come back from Dead Man's Curve.
The notorious Brennans have been the talk of the neighborhood. "We're the Speed Demons," Helga said, with an impish smile.
But she added more firmly: "We don't speed."
Last month, these rebels with a cause mailed a letter to the county's Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit:
"This speed violation left us speechless," they wrote. "A hundred miles per hour during rush hour on Wayne? It never happened. Cannot have happened. Please check if your equipment malfunctioned and other people received similar notices for that day."
They received no reply.
"We fell down on this one," said Lt. Paul Starks, spokesman for the county police. When I asked police to look at the citation, the traffic unit quickly realized what had happened. The Brennans will get their $40 back. But here's the part the couple really cares about:
The traffic unit has checked the Wayne Avenue setup to make sure it's working correctly. And all citations issued there June 25 were reviewed. The Brennans' citation was the only mistake that slipped through, police concluded.
The error was human, Starks said. The reviewers failed to spot the red flag built into the system that is supposed to alert them to such problems.
The speed camera system is designed to catch its own mistakes. When a glitch occurs, the device warns the reviewers by citing a weird speed to get their attention, such as 0 mph or 100 mph. The Brennan's speed should have been the tip-off to toss the ticket, but it got through the review.
Capt. John Damskey, head of the traffic division, will figure out how to improve supervision so this doesn't recur. And police will review their mail procedures to make sure letters such as the Brennans' get answered.
DPS: Dispute to delay use of photo radar on speeders
by Howard Fischer - Sep. 14, 2008 The Arizona Daily Star - ArticlePHOENIX — Arizonans who have a tendency to speed are going to get a bit of a reprieve from being caught on cameras.
The legal spat over a contract for 100 new photo-radar units means there is no way the state can meet its goal of getting the first 50 on the road by the end of the year, Department of Public Safety Lt. James Warriner said Friday.
Warriner said that's because the state Department of Administration has barred the DPS from awarding the contract while it hears complaints from an unsuccessful bidder.
And Warriner said that if that dispute is not resolved soon, the other 50 cameras that are supposed to be up and running by February also will not be deployed.
The chances of that happening are good.
Josh Weiss, a spokesman for American Traffic Solutions, the unsuccessful bidder, said Friday that if the Department of Administration does not void the $20 million contract award to Redflex Traffic Systems, a lawsuit is "on the table."
Weiss said that if litigation results, his firm would ask a judge to delay awarding the contract until a final ruling. And that could take months — if not more.
The fallout from the dispute affects more than motorists who do not have to keep an eye out for the fixed and mobile cameras. It also undermines predictions by Gov. Janet Napolitano that the new cameras will generate $90 million in revenue by June 30.
The question is whether Redflex was legally qualified to bid on the statewide system the Legislature authorized in June as part of the state budget.
Napolitano proposed the statewide photo-radar system in January as part of her effort to balance the budget.
Lawsuit Challenges Photo Radar Citations
Sep. 5, 2008 KPHO Phoenix - ArticlePHOENIX -- A lawsuit could impact thousands of Arizona motorists who have received photo radar tickets.
If successful, motorists who were cited might be able to ignore the tickets, while those who already paid might be able to get their money back, according to a report in the East Valley Tribune.
Legal papers contend the citations issued by Redflex Traffic Systems before the first week in August are illegal, the newspaper reported.
The lawsuit, filed late last month in Maricopa County Superior Court, alleges the company was using radar guns that had not been cleared for use, according to the East Valley Tribune.
Attorney Thomas Moring said his client should be allowed to refuse to pay the photo radar ticket issued by the Town of Paradise Valley in June, the paper said. He was clocked as speeding by a mobile photo radar unit operated for the town by Redflex, the newspaper reported.
Moring said the lawsuit also seeks to block any other state or local government that has issued similar citations from enforcing them, the East Valley Tribune reported.
It encompasses the cities of Paradise Valley, Chandler, Prescott Valley, Tempe and Pinal County and the Department of Public Safety, the paper reported.
Napolitano defends state photo-radar plan
by Howard Fischer - Feb. 14, 2008 The Arizona Daily Star - ArticlePHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano is defending her plan for statewide photo radar, saying it's just a happy coincidence that it will help her with the state budget deficit.
The governor on Wednesday said she ordered the Department of Public Safety to contract for fixed and mobile speed-enforcement cameras a year ago, before the state's current budget crunch. She said that was based on findings from a Scottsdale experiment that showed it promoted safer roads.
The citations the system will produce this year will generate an estimated $90 million in net revenues to help erase a $1.7 billion or larger budget deficit anticipated next year.
She said the revenues from the tickets would have been part of her budget proposal "if we were in a surplus."
But it was not until last month — a year after ordering statewide deployment of photo radar — that Napolitano said she wanted to change the formula of who gets the money.
Under current law, the fines go to the cities or counties where the citation is issued. The governor, however, wants the statutes changed so penalties from photo-radar citations issued on state roads all go to the state general fund.
Pressed on the issue, Napolitano said it makes sense to generate funds from photo radar.
"Look, you can either have a budget that protects speeders or you can have a budget that protects education, that allows us to keep adding DPS (Department of Public Safety) officers and CPS (Child Protective Services) case managers," she said. "These are all choices that have to be made."
Nor did she think it's unfair to balance the budget on the backs of lead-footed motorists.
"Nobody likes getting a ticket," she said. "But that's the price you pay when you speed. If you don't want to pay, don't speed."
Napolitano did confess that she got at least one speeding ticket in her life. But she insisted she doesn't remember how fast she was going.
The governor's defense came a day after the Senate Transportation Committee voted to ban the use of photo radar on state roads. And anticipating a veto, the same panel also agreed to put an identical measure before voters in November.
Nearly 600 Scottsdale photo tickets tossed due to glitch
Jan. 29, 2008 ABC 15 - ArticleScottsdale has thrown out nearly 600 photo enforcement speeding citations after learning they were triggered by a faulty sensor.
The affected motorists were all traveling between Dec. 7 and Jan. 4 in the eastbound curb lane on Shea Boulevard at 120th Street, which is one of the mid-block surface street speed camera locations.
The city received complaints from motorists about the camera flashing when they were traveling below the activation limit.
The cameras are activated at 11 mph above the speed limit.
A police investigation showed that vendor American Traffic Solutions was issuing 75 percent above the normal number of citations during December from the camera location, Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said.
“Clearly there was an anomaly and we notified ATS,” Clark said. As a result, the city dismissed 589 citations already mailed by Scottsdale City Court, reimbursed 35 motorists who had already paid fines or driver school fees, as well as corrected driving records, city spokesman Pat Dodds wrote in an internal e-mail Monday obtained by the Tribune. The affected drivers are receiving notices that their citations were voided, Dodds wrote. Recorded speeding violations from the curb lane that had not yet been processed into citations were also dismissed. “All were going over the speed limit, but we couldn’t verify the exact speed they were going,” ATS spokesman Josh Weiss said. Weiss said ATS learned of the problem Jan. 4 and shut down the camera site for repair until Jan. 16. Weiss added that the company has since verified that all of the surface street and Loop 101 freeway cameras in Scottsdale are functioning properly. “These sensors are used on thousands of cameras and it’s extremely rare for something like this to happen,” Weiss said. ATS operates both the surface street and freeway cameras in Scottsdale. The Scottsdale-based company, which operates in more than 100 cities including Mesa and Phoenix, took over from previous vendor Redflex Traffic Systems last year. Dodds said a number of years ago, Scottsdale refunded fines after realizing speeding citations issued by a mobile speed van were done using the wrong speed limit.Tennessee: Refunds for Photo Tickets on Short Yellow
Mar. 13, 2008 theNewspaper.com - ArticleChattanooga, Tennessee Judge refunds 176 red light camera tickets issued at illegally short yellow light.
The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee will refund $8800 in red light cameras tickets issued to motorists trapped by an illegally short yellow time. Municipal Court Judge Russell Bean on Monday dismissed charges against 176 vehicle owners cited by an automated ticketing machine located at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Pine Street.
Last month, a motorist challenged his citation by insisting that the yellow light was too short and only remained lit for 3.0 seconds before changing to red and activating the camera. LaserCraft, the private vendor that runs the camera program in return for a cut of the profits, provided the judge with a computer database that asserted the yellow was 3.8 seconds at that location. Bean gave the motorist the benefit of the doubt and watched the video of the alleged violation while counting how long the light stayed yellow.
"It didn't seem to me that it was at four (seconds) because it would change right at three," Bean told the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Bean then personally checked the intersection in question was timed at three seconds while other nearby locations had about four seconds of yellow warning. City traffic engineer John Van Winkle told Bean that "a mix up with the turn arrow" was responsible and that the bare minimum for the light should be 3.9 seconds. Judge Bean ordered 176 of the tickets issued within the first 0.9 seconds after the light turned red canceled.
Short yellow times are vital to ensuring the steady flow of traffic citations for vendors like LaserCraft. Confidential documents obtained in a 2001 court trial proved that the city of San Diego, California and its red light camera vendor, now ACS, only installed red light cameras at intersections with high volumes and "Amber (yellow) phase less than 4 seconds."
Short yellows trap drivers in what is known as a "dilemma zone" where there is neither time to stop safely -- without slamming the brakes and risking a rear-end collision -- nor to proceed through the intersection before it changes to red. Red light cameras capitalize on this, with four out of every five tickets issued before the light has been red for a full second, according to a report by the California State Auditor. This suggests that most citations are issued to those surprised by a quick-changing signal light.
In 2002, a Baltimore, Maryland judge caught the city trapping motorists at signals with illegally short yellow lights. (Read court memo)
City's photo-radar system keeps speeders in check
by Trevor Hughes - Aug. 26, 2007 Coloradoan.com - ArticleOne driver was recorded traveling at 132 mph in a 30 mph zone on April 25, 2007. The owner of the vehicle said there's no way the GMC pickup he uses for landscaping could travel that fast. Municipal court officials said the ticket was never issued, which traffic Sgt. Mike Trombley said probably happened because the speed was so high. He said that while the radar cameras are calibrated at the start and end of each shift, it's likely the 132-mph reading was incorrect. He declined to discuss potential error rates for the system.
Arizona: Police Arrest Man for Driving Impossible Speed
June 2, 2006 EastValleyTribune.com - ArticleScottsdale, Arizona police have arrested Lawrence Pargo, 26, for speeding based solely on the evidence of its photo radar machines that registered his vehicle traveling at an impossibly high speed of 147 MPH. Scottsdale police maintain that Pargo's rented silver Sonata drove between 102 and 147 MPH past four speed cameras on May 21 at around six in the morning. Pargo's Hyundai, according to the manufacturer, has a drag-limited top speed of 137 MPH.
"This is a rental vehicle so it is doubtful that it could attain even this maximum speed," said Eric Skrum, spokesman for the National Motorists Association. "At a bare minimum, this is a ten-mph discrepancy and obviously an invalid ticket. I would suggest that rather than investigate this individual, the police should be checking their own equipment. This needs to be a top priority as there is no telling how many other drivers have received unjustified tickets."
Automotive reviewer Robert Farago wrote of the car, "only an Impala driver would mistake the Sonata LX for a high-performance sedan."
Australia: Unreliable Speed Cameras Secretly Disconnected
Apr 22, 2008 TheNewspaper.com - ArticleOfficials in Victoria, Australia quietly turned off unreliable West Gate Freeway speed cameras in 2006.
A set of speed cameras in Victoria, Australia were quietly turned off nearly two years ago because of police concerns about their reliability. In September 2005 the state government spent A$2 million to install the automated ticketing machines on the West Gate Bridge, a busy 1.6 mile route across the Yarra River in Melbourne. Police officials today confirmed that they had secretly disabled the cameras in September 2006 after the devices had issued 4243 citations.
"They were turned off, I've been advised, for technical issues," Assistant Police Commissioner for Traffic Ken Lay told Melbourne's 3AW radio. "So the decision was made that if we can't be absolutely sure let's not infringe. Motorists shouldn't be dobbed and if we do start doing that it undermines the system, it undermines road safety."
Lay insisted he was "happy" with the accuracy of the devices and that it was only the clarity of the photographic images that moved him to turn off the cameras. Some suspect more is involved.
In July 2003, a Victoria speed camera accused motorist Vanessa Bridges' 1975 Datsun 120Y of driving at 98 MPH, setting off a chain reaction of events that ultimately cost the state government A$26 million in refunds. Even after the thirty-year-old Datsun was tested and found to be capable of reaching speeds no greater than 73 MPH, police dug in their heels and insisted the photo enforcement system was accurate and that Bridges' fine would stand. Intense publicity arising out of her case, however, forced an investigation into the cameras on the Western Ring Road. Independent testing showed faulty in-ground sensors and electromagnetic interference had been responsible for generating bogus speed readings. The government had no choice but to cancel 165,000 camera tickets.
Today, Lay insisted safety was the only factor driving the 2006 decision by Victoria Police to keep the West Gate Bridge problems quiet.
"There was a decision made by us not to put it out there that they weren't operating," Lay added. "Some will criticize us for doing that, I understand that. But the decision was made to keep people alive."
Hunt Highway crash figures double those reported
by David Biscobing - Jun 2, 2008 East Valley Tribute - ArticleThe Pinal County Sheriff's Office sent out a press release in December with positive news about Hunt Highway crashes: They were cut in half after the photo radar program began.
Unfortunately, that wasn't true. Not even close.
Crashes actually increased on the road, updated statistics show. And the number of collisions was more than double the figure previously cited by the sheriff's office.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Vanessa White said they released the news with preliminary data based on the number of reports in the system at the time.
That information was missing dozens of crashes.
Hunt Highway is a two-lane artery that serves nearly 50,000 people in the Santan area. The highway, which runs from Queen Creek to Florence, has become a perilous stretch of road in the past few years.
In 2007, there were 203 crashes - more than a 650 percent increase since 2003.
County officials have worked to improve safety by making road improvements and adjusting speed limits. But the results have been spotty. And the sheriff's office hoped to get a handle on the problem by implementing a photo radar program.
On July 9, two radar vans were placed on Hunt Highway. They began issuing citations a month later.
Sheriff's officials quickly touted the vans as a success, attributing to them a 53 percent decrease in crashes months after their inception.
But there was no decrease, and the drop the sheriff's office cited did not account for 55 crashes.
White said there was a delay in adding those reports into records, adding that the sheriff's office is reformatting its records system to provide more timely and accurate data.
The news release said there were only 40 crashes from July 9 to the end of November, compared with 82 during the same period in 2006.
There were actually 95.
There have been fewer crashes so far in 2008 compared with 2007, records show. But the decrease isn't significant, only 14 fewer c rashes through May 21. The number of injury crashes has remained the same.
It isn't clear if the downward trend will continue as some months see more than 20 crashes and the summer months have been some of the worst in the past.
Cpl. Paul Compton, who oversees photo radar for the sheriff's office, didn't return a phone call and message seeking comment.
When crashes occur on Hunt Highway, the road is shut down for hours as there are virtually no routes in and out of the area when it is closed.
A deadly crash shut down the highway for 12 hours on May 7, leaving thousands of commuters cut off from schools, businesses and jobs.
That crash occurred near Thompson Road, which falls into the most heavily traveled part of the highway - a five-mile section from Ellsworth to Bella Vista roads where more than 100 crashes occurred in 2007.
Gotcha!
Feb. 8, 2007 Phoenix New Times - Article(excerpt)
Corporations and governments can legally ignore photo tickets in the Valley, while the rest of us are expected to pay up -- or else
You see, vehicles registered to a corporation, limited liability corporation (also known as an LLC), limited partnership, or family trust are immune to photo tickets. So are public entities like city governments (though some do occasionally pay tickets received from other jurisdictions).
Here's why: The police and courts may send process servers to visit the home of someone who blew off a mailed ticket. But they don't do the same thing for businesses.
Lawyers say Arizona civil traffic violations can only be issued to a real, live person. Since the corporation can't be held liable, there's no reason to serve it the ticket.
Most cities don't send real citations to corporations. They send weakly worded notices that can be safely thrown in the trash. Unlike the grim tone of a citation, which orders the motorist to pay a fine or appear in court on a certain date, the violation notices let the company know up front: "This is not a Summons to Appear. There is no fine associated with this Notice."
The notices sent to businesses gently ask them to identify the driver and mail the form back so a new ticket can be reissued in the driver's name. No law forces anyone to do that, however.
Scottsdale's been mailing such notices for years; Mesa and Phoenix started sending them last year. Tempe sends businesses a letter instead of a citation.
Police do nothing when the notices are disregarded. Granted, police could choose to investigate repeat offenders like Wolf & Associates — but they've never done so.
The process is slightly different in Chandler and Paradise Valley, which sends all violators, regardless of the name of the registered owner, a citation. The result is the same, though. Corporations, trusts and government entities that blow off the notices are not held accountable.
Officer Jed Gunter, Chandler's photo-enforcement manager, receives a daily list of violators who ignored their mailed tickets. He asks the court to sic process servers on most of them. But not all.
"If there are any corporations, I just go ahead and X them out, because you can't serve a corporation," he says.
Asked why Chandler never tries to catch repeat corporate offenders, Gunter replies, "I've never thought about it."
Mailing the businesses toothless notices, rather than citations, saves work for police and courts. The reason is, citations, unlike notices, are filed with the court just before being mailed.
If a business ignores a citation, it must be dismissed after four months, like other ignored citations. And if the business identifies the driver, the original corporate citation still must be dismissed from the court. Therefore, court employees have fewer cases to deal with when corporate citations are never filed with the court at all.
After New Times told Elsa Lynch, Paradise Valley's court administrator and part-time judge, how most cities handle corporate violators, Lynch took steps to change the town's photo-enforcement system.
By separating people who could be prosecuted for camera violations from businesses that can't, the court will save time and money, she says.
"I think this is a fantastic idea," says Lynch.
For businesses, trusts and governments, everything about photo enforcement is voluntary.
No surprise, then, that most don't respond to the mailings.
On Your Side: Photo Radar Tickets
Oct. 23, 2007 WJLA ABC 7 News - ArticleFighting an erroneous ticket - You have to get the TV station involved to fight your ticket.