Traffic Camera

[SEraider]

i think it's vk or some company like that......glases with video/audio camera built in, 4 gig flash drive, and they do bluetooth too.


now, that being said........bunches of yas said i was paranoid when i mentioned that i keep digital voice recorders in my cars, soon to be supplemented with video. 

It's not paranoia, it is fact.  This is a society that we are moving to and people are asleep at the wheel and letting this happen.  Good for you for standign up for your rights.

BTW - when you find the name of that company, please let me know.

[saggs]

Any info on just throwing the tickets in the trash.... I thought if your not served by a person. they cant do any thing about it?

Well... unless they send it certified mail, they can't prove that you ever got it.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I feel uneasy driving a road populated with traffic cameras, even though I always drive within the speed limits. It feels like I'm not keeping the speed in check often enough, but at the same time I also feel like I'm not following the traffic enough.

You could just set the cruise control to legal speed and drive normally like I do. Cameras never bothered me and I drive 45000km for work yearly.

[CountD90]

You could just set the cruise control to legal speed and drive normally like I do. Cameras never bothered me and I drive 45000km for work yearly.

But that's not fun, as for cameras I don't believe New Jersey has any that give out tickets for speeding and running lights. We do have a lot of officers that use dashboard mounted speed radars, that is why I invested in a radar detector. Bought my cousins older one for 180 bucks (300 new) and that thing has saved me 10 times the amount from speeding tickets and points on my license.

Oh and kind of a HiJack here but this event kinda pissed me off. I had a person in front of me driving like a complete arse, drifting around, taking up two lanes, randomly slowing down with nobody in front of him, but he was doing the speed limit. When I got the chance I passed him, kind of gassing it I'm not going to lie. As I passed him there was a cop sitting in the shoulder around the bend, he tagged me with a laser and pulled me over. The speed limit was 40 and I want to say I hit 50 while passing.

The officer didn't say one thing to me, didn't even ask for my papers just stood there. I handed him everything, including my PBA card, and asked him way I was pulled over. He looked at the card, walked to his car and tossed it in. Came back, gave me my stuff and walked away.

Now 2 questions

First is passing someone considered speeding, and yes I started to slow down once I got around.

Second, isn't the officer supposed to tell you why you were being pulled over, I would have liked to have the chance to explain to him what happened since he wasn't in view to witness this guys horrendous driving and possibly keep my PBA card.

[Skuzzy]

In San Diego a few years back, Lockheed Martin was sued, along with the city I think as well, when it was found that the cameras provided to the city by Lockheed were incorrectly programmed.  Further investigation showed that Lockheed was given a sweet deal by the city to provide the cameras and it was shown that Lockheed also knew the cameras were not programmed correctly but failed to fix the problem.  The reason why they never fixed the problem after it was brough to their attention is that in the deal with Lockheed made with the city, Lockheed would get $70 from each ticket.

The plaintiffs won and all of the cameras were removed from the city, which were positioned at the stop lights where most red light violations occured in San Diego.  As a result, there was another lawsuit filed by those that received tickets at these stop lights when the cameras were in use.  They were suing to get the money back from the fines they paid and to have the tickets removed from their driving record. Not sure what happened in that case though or if it ever got resolved.

ack-ack

Yeah, see that is not going to happen in Texas.  Lockheed has a huge infrastructure here in Texas.  The state will protect that business from any lawsuits.  How?  By making sure the suits never get to court.  Same thing with Verizon and SBC.  Laws get passed all the time to favor large business concerns in Texas.

An example.  In Texas, we have to pay a fee to the phone companies if we opt out of long distance service on a land line.  Coincidentally, we also have to pay a minimum fee if we do not use that long distance service.  Did I mention the fee for both is identical?

There are also laws on the books to protect phone companies from competition.

There is nothing anyone can do about it either.  You can write letters all day long (I have) and they will be ignored.  As it is with these cameras at intersections.

Again, no matter what laws there are, if they are not enforced, they are just words on a piece of paper.

[RTHolmes]

Yellow Change
The duration of the yellow change interval is typically based upon driver perception-reaction time, plus the distance needed to safely stop or to travel safely through the intersection.

not in the UK unfortunately, its fixed at 3s +-0.25s regardless of the speed limit. ok in a 30mph zone but waay too short in a 70mph zone. Ive been caught out by this, doing 70ish along a dual carriageway, saw the lights but nothing waiting at the junction (ie. no potential hazards to make me reduce speed) then for no apparent reason the lights go amber.

I judge the stopping distance and realise that it will need some pretty hefty braking to stop for the line and there are cars behind me that may not be as alert as me or have such decent brakes (tarox grooved discs/pagid blue pads upgrade) so coast through only to see red just before I cross the line and get flashed by the camera.

I went back later and timed the amber several times at 2.8s, with reaction time thats about 0.4g braking required. presumably why every other country afaik uses about 5s delay at these speeds. 3 points and £60 fine

[CAP1]

I like those. Wish they were around when I was married to settle arguments.

 

those are lower priced..........there's more expensive ones from a company called "gk vessa". i think they're based in florida.
 theirs have interchangable lenses, so they could be worn at night too.

http://www.gkvessa.com/

 i talked to bill(i think). they have a pair that isn't listed yet.

4 gig flash drive. 1.3 megapixel digital, video, and audio camera. mp3 player. bluetooth stereo which will also recieve music from your phone through the bluetooth.

 expensive.......but definite coolness.  

 hey skuzzy.........i don't remember everything i typed yesterday....what'd i get "rule 4'd for?

[CAP1]

A lot of folks in the DFW area have apparently stopped paying them because there is nothing the cities or red light cameras can really do to collect. It's not a moving violation because a cop did not issue the ticket.

 i think there's also the fact that they can never really prove that you got the notice in the mail....unless they wanna send it through registered mail.

[CAP1]

It's not paranoia, it is fact.  This is a society that we are moving to and people are asleep at the wheel and letting this happen.  Good for you for standign up for your rights.

BTW - when you find the name of that company, please let me know.

http://www.gkvessa.com/

they're pricey.......but i think i may make a pair of them my late christmas present to me. 

and soon.....been seeing somerdale, stratford and nj's finest looking more active as far as stops are concerned lately.

[CAP1]

You could just set the cruise control to legal speed and drive normally like I do. Cameras never bothered me and I drive 45000km for work yearly.

truck driver?

[CAP1]

But that's not fun, as for cameras I don't believe New Jersey has any that give out tickets for speeding and running lights. We do have a lot of officers that use dashboard mounted speed radars, that is why I invested in a radar detector. Bought my cousins older one for 180 bucks (300 new) and that thing has saved me 10 times the amount from speeding tickets and points on my license. deptford and cherry hill have redlight cameras on a trial basis. there's only 2 in cherry hill...i think on the north side. there are cameras on rt. 561, between brace rd, and burnt mill rd. i don't know if they're also redlight cameras, traffic cameras, or they just use em to adjust the timing of the lights to traffic conditions. they are there though.
 rt. 295 has cameras every few miles(which you can access on the web). i know they only monitor right now, but my radar detector used to go off every time i approached one.

Oh and kind of a HiJack here but this event kinda pissed me off. I had a person in front of me driving like a complete arse, drifting around, taking up two lanes, randomly slowing down with nobody in front of him, but he was doing the speed limit. When I got the chance I passed him, kind of gassing it I'm not going to lie. As I passed him there was a cop sitting in the shoulder around the bend, he tagged me with a laser and pulled me over. The speed limit was 40 and I want to say I hit 50 while passing. yes, you were speeding. more than likely, you'd have not been bothered for that speed had you not been passing.

The officer didn't say one thing to me, didn't even ask for my papers just stood there. I handed him everything, including my PBA card, and asked him way I was pulled over. He looked at the card, walked to his car and tossed it in. Came back, gave me my stuff and walked away.dam....any time i've used my cards, they give em back.

Now 2 questions

First is passing someone considered speeding, and yes I started to slow down once I got around.any time you're over the posted limit, you're considered to be speeding.

Second, isn't the officer supposed to tell you why you were being pulled over, I would have liked to have the chance to explain to him what happened since he wasn't in view to witness this guys horrendous driving and possibly keep my PBA card. yes, they pretty much have to tell you why you were stopped.
i am always polite with them, but never give em anything till i'm told just why i was stopped. if they don't offer an explanation, i politley ask. if they repeat their question, with no explanation, i repeat my question.

[LCCajun]

Skuzzy we have one of those lights in our city that only one car can make it through. I will not write a ticket on that light. A few of us at my dept have asked if they can fix the light b/c all it does is cause wrecks of course the city just ignores us.

[Skuzzy]

Cajun, I think everyone is aware the police officers have no say in this.

On the other hand.   My Wife was in a left turn lane with a green arrow.  To do anything other than turn left, she would have broken the law, big time.  She makes the left, at the green arrow, and then promptly gets pulled over and ticketed for not using her left turn signal.  Technically, she broke the law. 

While she was waiting, another motorcycle police officer was pulling over everyone that did the same thing.  She said when she pulled away, there were 13 cars in line for tickets.  Apparently, no one making that left could figure out why everyone was getting pulled over.

I find myself now using my turn signal whenever I have to deviate from a straight path, even when I am in a dedicated turn lane, which has a curb to prevent you from changing your mind, and cannot possibly impose a hazard to anyone when no turn signal is present.

Just a heads up, but the City of Grapevine must be hard up for cash this month so be careful when driving through it folks.

[BMathis]

Cajun, I think everyone is aware the police officers have no say in this.

On the other hand.   My Wife was in a left turn lane with a green arrow.  To do anything other than turn left, she would have broken the law, big time.  She makes the left, at the green arrow, and then promptly gets pulled over and ticketed for not using her left turn signal.  Technically, she broke the law. 

While she was waiting, another motorcycle police officer was pulling over everyone that did the same thing.  She said when she pulled away, there were 13 cars in line for tickets.  Apparently, no one making that left could figure out why everyone was getting pulled over.

I find myself now using my turn signal whenever I have to deviate from a straight path, even when I am in a dedicated turn lane, which has a curb to prevent you from changing your mind, and cannot possibly impose a hazard to anyone when no turn signal is present.

Just a heads up, but the City of Grapevine must be hard up for cash this month so be careful when driving through it folks.

Wow.  That's just ridiculous. 

In Houston they have speed traps as you exit the freeway to the feeder. Some are just along the feeders though. The (some) exit's go from 65 to 35 in 2.2 seconds.  These cops are sitting behind trees with radars, then walk out into the 3 lane feeder to stop you like someone carjacking you.  Meanwhile, as your getting served for speeding, there's people selling dope 50 yards away. Literally.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

truck driver?

Heh no, ISV consultant/trainer.