These 50 or so red light traffic cameras being installed in the city of Rochester, New York are wrong. What ever happened to having the right to confront your accuser? If you loaned your car to a friend, who subsequently runs a red light or commits a rolling stop on a right turn, and in the mail comes a fine of $75 dollars addressed to you. Who would your accuser be? The camera lens or the digital computer? This whole thing is wrong! The mayor says this will improve safety. Won’t you be taking your eyes off of the road to look for cameras? How safe is that? No, this is about money. God, I hate to be lied to. Its all about the revenue to be gained from the fines, or so it seems.
Lets take a closer look at these fines, or more precisely the costs. A private non-Rochester company from Arizona called Redflex Traffic Systems will install, operate, and monitor the cameras at up to 50 intersections. Redflex will be paid $3740 each month per camera. That’s $187,000 per month or $2,244,000 before we even make a dime. That means 30,000 of us would have to be nailed to the wall without due process. Can anyone say “Fast Ferry” or “Midtown Plaza?”. Not to mention that a police officer has to review the information and process it, that costs money too doesn’t it? And the city has to collect the fines, that costs money too I think.
Ok, suppose I decide that this is not fair and goes against the very principals of our country, and do not pay my fine? They will add on late fees, they will suspend my drivers license and basically ruin my life.
If you still don’t think that this absolutely stinks, then think of this. If you have to pay that $75 fine you are not spending that money in your local restaurant, grocery store, or lumber company. Everyone suffers.
The typical law enforcement response was predictable. Executive Deputy Chief George Markert said, “If you’re not doing anything wrong you don’t have anything to worry about.” That’s a real caring and thoughtful comment now isn’t it? The City of Rochester doesn’t give one rats ass about its residents, only the revenue.
Its time for a change!
Read this!
The city of Dalton Georgia is making a move that will make a lot of drivers very happy – city leaders want to get rid of those red light cameras. Mayor David Pennington says they don’t make his city any safer, and now they are costing more money than what they bring in to the city with tickets. The camera’s that catch drivers not completely stopping at red lights in Dalton have made a lot of drivers see red when they get the $75 ticket in the mail. The camera operated systems have been promoted as making streets safer and reducing crashes. But in Dalton, we’ve discovered the numbers don’t show it. Mayor David Pennington said, “Does it really enhance the public safety in a community? We see no evidence that it does.” Mayor Pennington says at one intersection, Waugh Street and Thornton Avenue, the number of crashes increased after the red light cameras were installed. “Because of rear-enders, and maybe some of it is some people when they see the sign and suddenly thought hey, there’s a traffic camera here and they slam on their brakes and then somebody rear-ends them,” he said. Besides having no safety benefits the city is now losing money on the camera systems, before taking into account the number of man hours it takes to process the pictures and mail out tickets.
Now isn’t that just great! The very first thing a government does when it wants to subvert it’s people is to keep a close eye on them:) Next there will be check points located in various spots around Rochester where they will say to you “let me see your papers”, sound familiar? Never, ever say to yourself in your own head or to anyone else ” I would be willing to give up a little freedom if it meant I would be safe”. You will not have freedom or safety.