Government malpractice, red light camera update
Knoxville City Council approved the Redflex red lights cameras by a 6-3 vote last night. Only Steve Hall, Joe Bailey, and Joe Hultquist voted against the red light cameras. The closet thing to a poll on this is at the Knoxville News Sentinel online edition. The overwhelming majority of respondents are against the red light cameras. Michael Silence’s blog on the KNS has featured many stories on the red light cameras. Even Glen Reynolds has commented or what a poor idea this is for Knoxville.
This morning on the Lloyd Daugherty radio program on AM 1180 caller after caller expressed their disappointment, anger, and frustration with City Council. One caller described the vote on the red light cameras as government malpractice. City Councilman Steve Hall was in the studio and was asked if the red light camera contract gave Redflex the right to control the yellow light duration. Hall said that City Engineering was still in control of the yellow light duration and that Redflex could not change the yellow light timing. Hall also said that the contract with Redflex will be reviewed in one year and there is no penalty clause if the City decides to cancel the contract.
A caller asked Hall if City Engineering would increase the yellow light duration to five seconds so the Redflex red light cameras would not be so dangerous to drivers. Hall responded that he had asked City Engineering to increase the yellow light duration but they said it was too expensive to do so. Hall further said that City Engineering feels the timing of the yellow lights is correct and that there is no need to change the timing.
Later in the program a caller gave out the phone numbers for City Engineering department of Traffic Engineering. Councilman Hall was asked by the caller to bring Section Chief Mark Geldmeier and Ernie Pierce of the Traffic Signal Group to City Council for a workshop to explain why the yellow light duration should not be changed to 5 seconds in light of the vote to install the red light cameras. Then Hall said something unexpected. He said that Mark Geldmeier was the person that suggested the red light cameras to the Knoxville Police Department. When asked if the red light cameras were Geldmeier’s idea Hall responded yes.
Is there a problem here? The individual who is the decision maker for the length of the yellow light duration is the same person who came up with the idea for the red light cameras? If you feel an explanation is required then contact your City Council representative and request a workshop in City Council to explain how and why yellow light durations are determined and set. Why should there be any reluctance to explain this to the community?
The question is simple, is this about revenue or is it about safety?
November 9th, 2005 at 1:32 pm
While the city has control of the yellow light, that doesn’t keep Redflex from suggesting that the length be shortened and the city from honoring the request. The fact that the guy who suggested the cameras is in traffic engineering leds me to think that the length of the yellow will be shortened. I keep thinking that someone has be getting some kind of kick back on this.
November 9th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
[…] He said that Mark Geldmeier was the person that suggested the red light cameras to the Knoxville Police Department. When asked if the red light cameras were Geldmeier’s idea Hall responded yes. …. The question is simple, is this about revenue or is it about safety? — SayUncle […]
November 9th, 2005 at 3:21 pm
I don’t have a dog in this (red light camera restricted) race, but I note the following with some irony.
Mr Geldmeier’s name has the typical, and likely minimum qualifiacation for his job, Professional Engineer (P.E.) designation after his name, but he isn’t listed as a P.T.O.E..
Far be it from me to declare anyone not qualified to be in a certain position due to the lack of a some outside qualifier, but it may be a handy thing to use this as an excuse to demand that someone outside of this contract be given a chance to review the plan.
November 9th, 2005 at 3:49 pm
One more thought.
Would it be too expensive to change the yellow timing to 5 seconds because it is a labor intensive job that could not be accomplished at almost no marginal cost a the time of camera installation?
Is it too expensive because it would require too much study & planning to justify the change?
Is it too expensive because they’re too lazy to change the programming on their central computer?
Or is it too expensive because it destroys the revenue model of the red light camera operation, thereby “spending” too much money in the sense that a tax cut “spends” money.
November 9th, 2005 at 5:12 pm
Local politicians will always be in favor of red light scameras. In Virginia it was authorized by the state 10 years ago as a pilot program, implemented and administered by the localities, and then allowed to expire by the state legislature. No longer having the legal standing to continue the red light camera programs, many localities simply turned them off and left them in place, hoping that one day the state legislature will reauthorize their use. Falls Church, Fairfax, and Arlington wait with baited breath for the state legislature to let them turn them back on and start issuing tickets again.
November 9th, 2005 at 6:05 pm
Bastards
November 9th, 2005 at 9:50 pm
The colonials shot folks over just this type stuff. Not us though, we happily wear whatever weight chains we are requested to put on by the authorities.
November 9th, 2005 at 10:26 pm
Certainly the goal here is for increased revenue. The catch phrase for .gov revenue is safety and/or Child safety, really touches the heart of the elderly voter who still believes in an honest politician, and this is how they get away with it. I remember growing up and in my household if a politician said that diseased pig’s asses were attacking from the sky, we headed for the storm cellar. Until the older generation passes on local .gov’s will continue to take full advantage of the citizenry and get away with these very types of things. Now what we need is a civilian group put in charge of the lights to make sure all judges, off and on duty officers, and all political figures are ticketed the same as the general public. This will get the cameras out of here faster than a cat can lick its ass.
November 10th, 2005 at 1:52 pm
Funny thing is, the elderly generation has that problem… the thing with the younger generation is that so many of them are so liberal that they believe that the media is lying to cover for conservatives, and they believe people like Barbara Boxer as being oracles of the truth.
Sadly enough, it goes both ways.
November 10th, 2005 at 2:48 pm
It’s too expensive to lengthen the yellow? Bullhockey. That’s hardly something for a city employee to decide, anyway. I already pay taxes for safety not stupidity, although you’d never know it here.
All I can promise is that when I get rearended at one of these things, the city of Knoxville will be a codefendant in my lawsuit. I WILL have whiplash.