Category Archives: Automated Enforcement

The unholy intersection of Chicago politics and automated enforcement

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Unbelievably scummy.

CHICAGO – A request by the city of Chicago to toss a lawsuit challenging the fairness and constitutionality of its controversial red light camera program was denied by a Cook County judge.

The lawsuit alleges the city has issued more than $500 million in tickets under a program that wasn’t properly authorized by state lawmakers, the Chicago Tribune reported. It also accuses the city of issuing millions of tickets when yellow light times were too short at intersections equipped with red light cameras.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, which argues the city has acted lawfully, asked Circuit Judge Rita Novak to dismiss the most recent in a series of similar lawsuits.

But Novak ruled on Thursday that the motorists who have been ticketed deserve their day in court. Although she said she understands the city’s concerns about being “subject to the same claims over and over,” Novak denied the request because the plaintiffs named in this case are new.

That’s the backstory. Here’s the money quote from the article:

On Thursday, Keating argued in court that the yellow light times of “up to half of all red light camera tickets issued . were in fact below three seconds,” as a result of the way traffic lights are set. The city has argued that it’s not legally bound to the 3-second minimum listed in federal guidelines.

Install a red light camera at an intersection.  Shorten the yellow light times so that more motorists find themselves hitting red lights. Ignore the fact that these shortened yellow light times are below the Federal guidelines, which say yellow light times should be about one second for each mile per hour, divided by ten. Rake in the cash from motorists.  I guess that’s how it works in Chicago.

 

The fish rots from the head down

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cameras-redflex-with-finley

It’s no secret we think automated enforcement is illegal and a corrupt manifestation of government overreach. We’ve been banging that drum since we started the Ticket Assassin back in 1998. So, it’s nice to get some vindication:

Karen Finley, former CEO of the Phoenix-based Redflex Traffic Systems, pleaded guilty today in federal court to an eight-year bribery-and-fraud scheme that helped the company retain photo-enforcement contracts with two Ohio cities.

Finley, 55, of Cave Creek, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Terence P. Kemp of the Southern District of Ohio to a charge of “conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery and honest services wire and mail fraud,” the U.S. Department of Justice announced this morning.

She obvious takeaway is that these red light camera ticket companies like Redflex are more corrupt than Florida Governor Rick Scott.

Red-light cameras extorting records amount of cash from Millbrae drivers

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Gotta hand it to Millbrae. They found just the right corner on which to stick a red light camera. The vast majority of motorists are getting beaned for legal right turns after a stop.

In one month alone, red light cameras in Millbrae generated over 1,500 citations in it’s nine year history. Three intersections in Millbrae have red light cameras and all of them are on Millbrae Avenue.  One camera captures drivers exiting southbound Highway 101 and is the most prolific, giving out 595 citations in the month of June.  Most of the citations were given to drivers who made a rolling right turn. “She just stopped and then she took a right, like you would normally do, yeah a simple right turn,” Alex Quant’s said.  Mike Miranda showed ABC7 News an expensive ticket he got for over $400.

If you click through to the story, you can watch the video. The unfairness of the ticket is obvious from Miranda’s face.  (Despite the unfairness of his ticket, The Ticket Assassin predicts Miranda will remain in the 98% of people who do not contest).

Here’s one part of the story that stood out to me:

The majority of citations were issued for right turns, instead of running red lights.

Screenshot 2015-07-29 16.30.26

Red light cameras were sold to us as a check on drivers who blow through red lights. “Red light runners”, always with  descriptions of drivers flooring it on a yellow light to traverse straight through an intersection, often with descriptions of terrible T-bone accidents.  But that’s not what the “vast majority” of these tickets are actually for. The vast majority of right light camera tickets are for right turns after coming to a stop at the corner. I don’t think anybody would agree that is the same thing. I don’t think any rational, sane motorist would agree it’s as bad (or worse) as blowing straight through an intersection.

Congratulations, Millbrae! You got these cameras installed on a pretense of safety and are now soaking your citizens for technically-illegal but safe rolling-stops at the corner. Time to pop that champagne.

The story quoted our friend and “honorary” Ticket Assassin Jim Lissner at HighwayRobbery.Net:

According to statistics analyzed by HighwayRobber.Net, Millbrae had a record number of citations totaling 1,555 in June, which is more than any month since the cameras were installed in the city nine years ago. HighwayRobbery.Net is a blog that tracks red light cameras all over California and said about 90 percent of the citations are for turns mostly rolling rights, which are violations that cause the least number of collisions, but make the most amount of money in fines. “I personally think it’s legalized theft,” one man said.

At least one State Senator is fighting back against these Orwellian Cash Machines: California State Senator Jerry Hill.

Sen. Jerry Hill’s bill to reduce fines for rolling rights failed and said cities should not use the cameras to make money. “They look at every opportunity to increase revenue in situations where they’re not dangerous,” he said. The question is how much has the city made from the cameras and are there fewer collisions because of them.

That’s pretty easy. This intersection alone got 1,500 citations in June. The tickets issued are $400 a pop. That’s some fairly simple math.

If you live in Jerry Hill’s district, I recommend supporting his campaign. Visit California State Senator Jerry Hill’s campaign site.

Justice: defenestrated! Ruling May Make ID Defense Harder

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This is some fucked-up shit:

Under California law, red light camera tickets may only be issued if the driver is clearly visible in the photograph. Positive identification is required because the driver, who may not be the registered owner, will have a point assessed against his license. MRCA decided it did not want to pay Redflex for verifying photographs of drivers and instead called the $175 citations “administrative penalties.” This arrangement allowed the agency to avoid splitting fine revenue with the state government. Motorist Danny Everett argued that was illegal.

Translation: the identity defense may be going away.

How this effects California motorists:  As it stands now, if you get your picture taken by one of those Orwellian cash machines, the state mails you the ticket. However, they only mail you the ticket if the photo of the driver is of decent quality – enough to be able to ID the driver. With this ruling, the court may feel empowered to chuck that standard right out the window.  Justice: defenestrated!

Cameras take aim at traffic violators | Police to go high-tech at key intersections

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Ray Huard

Run a red light and — flash — get a keepsake color snapshot, courtesy of San Diego police along with a $105 ticket.

Under a one-year pilot program approved by the City Council yesterday, special cameras will be installed within six months at 16 targeted intersections to photograph motorists who run red lights.

The snapshots will be mailed to the registered owners of cars or trucks caught cruising through the intersections under the soft glow of a traffic light that’s turned to red for stop.

If the registered owners weren’t driving when their cars or trucks were snapped, they can explain the situation by writing a note and the name of who was driving on the back of the photograph. Then they can mail it back to the city, said traffic engineer Julio Fuentes.

Those who don’t name the drivers could wind up arguing their case in court, Fuentes said.

To get their picture snapped, motorists will have to cross into the intersection after the light has turned red, said Dana King, marketing director for U.S. Public Technologies Inc., the firm that will install the cameras.

Rushing through on a yellow light won’t count, King said, even if the light changes to red when the car is partway through the intersection.

“We tend to err on the part of the driver,” King said.

For the first 30 to 60 days, those caught by the cameras will get a warning, Fuentes said.

The city has yet to decide which intersections will be equipped with the cameras, Fuentes said.

Those that have logged the highest number of accidents include:

  • 43rd Street at El Cajon Boulevard in the Kensington/City Heights area.
  • Fairmount Avenue at University Avenue in City Heights.
  • Fairmount Avenue at Orange Avenue in City Heights.
  • El Cajon Boulevard at Normal Street in University Heights.
  • Cleveland Avenue at Washington Street in the Hillcrest/University Heights area.
  • Heritage Road at Otay Mesa Road in Otay Mesa.
  • 33rd Street at El Cajon Boulevard in the Normal Heights/City Heights area.
  • 32nd Street and Harbor Drive in Barrio Logan.
  • 43rd Street at University Avenue in City Heights.
  • 4th Avenue at A Street downtown.
  • Ash Street at Front Street downtown.
  • 1st Avenue at A Street downtown.
  • 5th Avenue at Cedar St. downtown.
  • 42nd Street at University Avenue in City Heights.
  • 16th Street at Broadway downtown.
  • Deep Dell Road at Paradise Valley Road in the North Bay Terraces/South Bay Terraces area.
  • Fashion Valley Road at Hotel Circle North in Mission Valley.
  • University Avenue at Winona Avenue in City Heights.
  • 32nd Street at National Avenue in Memorial.
  • 3rd Avenue at A Street downtown.

    When an intersection is selected it will be posted with signs warning that cameras are present “so people will know what’s going on,” Fuentes said.

    The theory is that when people see the signs, they won’t risk running the lights, Fuentes said.

    The cameras, which cost about $50,000 each, will be installed and maintained by U.S. Public Technologies. The firm will not charge for the cameras. And if the cameras are kept for two years, there is no charge to the city for installing and maintaining them.

    Instead, United Technologies will get up to $25 of the fine paid by violators. If the city cancels the program after the first-year test period, it would have to pay United Technologies $150,000.

    El Cajon is installing similar cameras at five targeted intersections within the next two weeks under a pilot program run by U.S. Public Technologies, said El Cajon associate traffic engineer Trev Holman.

    San Francisco and Los Angeles have also started similar pilot programs, Fuentes said.

    In Los Angeles, cameras were installed at intersections along the Metrorail’s Blue Line where motorists were running both red lights and rail crossing guards, King said.

    Since then, the number of accidents has dropped by 92 percent at those intersections, King said.

    So far, the plan in El Cajon has prompted few complaints, aside from a few people who grumbled about having their picture taken without their permission, Holman said.

    “All we’re trying to do is reduce accidents,” Holman said. About 11 percent of accidents in El Cajon are caused by people running red lights.

    Fuentes said he had no firm estimate for San Diego, but 11 percent sounded low. “In some places, it ranges up to 30 percent.”