Kathleen said:
Personally, I don't care for them. I've been caught already by one on the Hamilton Mountain.
Which one? Upper James or Upper Sherman? My guess is Upper Sherman....
First, it and photo radar are simple money makers. Police don't seem to care how easy their job can be replaced. Plus they will never have a ticket stick themselves.
I disagree. Redlight cameras are good because people running a red light are statistically a high risk group fo traffic fatalities, unlike speeders (as in people purely speeding and not breaking other laws at the same time) who statistically are very low. They also are not simple moneymakers because if they were, they would have cameras at all locations instead of rotating them around. The redlight camera stands are a visual deterrent at high risk intersections that are proven to improve safety through that deterrence. Finally, your point about the police never getting a ticket themselves just tells me the system should be processed by a civilian agency instead, which is easily done if voters were to lobby strongly for it. Personally, I think the SIU should be expanded into an agency that actively patrols for police breaking any laws (traffic or otherwise) in a bid to end the double standard that robs the police of any credibility with most citizens.
I tend to race a yellow.. heince sometimes red. But I feel the only possible accident is the cars in the left turning lane, and they MUST wait for the intersection to be clear before moving. But hey, I'm the same one who thinks to leave massage parlors and escorts alone as its a victimless crime.
Running a red is by *no* means a victimless crime, no matter how good looking you are. God forbid the day you blow through a red in a hurry and some little kid steps into the intersection from behind a telephone pole as the walk signal comes on for him/her. Shame on you, Kathleen.....accidents are not intentional but that is the reason why there is a law.
Otherwise, my gripes for traffic enforcement are the same: driving in the passing lane, failure to signal, failure to come to a complete stop (although I'm confused why the last one bugs you when you admit running red lights occasionally yourself). I would add to the list people who turn from a driving lane instead of using the turning lane provided (they've been really pissing me off lately).
PAL
