A case of red light cameras
A Case of the Vapors is back and addresses the local traffic camera debate. Read here and here. A taste:
The problem this presents is if someone doesn’t pay a citation, will Redflex still receive compensation for the citation? According to this, it should and the City will have to pay Redflex from their share. I’ve been playing around with some numbers. It looks like during the time when Redflex and the City of Knoxville would be splitting the money 85/15, if 20% don’t pay their citations, the city will be losing money.
October 4th, 2005 at 11:24 am
I guess I would need to know how many officers we would be doing without? Whether through a lay off or attrition there would not be a need for the total number of officers that are on the force now as the camera would be doing a job for them. Just like manufacturing, when a robot can do a job 3 times faster than a human, the human is either moved or let go and not replaced. Since Police can not stop crime unless they are on the scene, and their track record for recovering stolen items is less than successful, and their main function is to harass the public and meet quotas to pipe monies into the system, then how many jobs will be removed from payroll? Payroll being the easiest thing to manage as far as costs it seems that this would be a great move if they reduced the total number on the force.
October 4th, 2005 at 1:05 pm
This is nothing but Orwellian BS.
Have the sitting members of the city council committed on this issue?
I want to know whom to support from my district and at large.
Thanks.
October 4th, 2005 at 7:42 pm
Up here, the maggots very very quietly passed the necessary laws, and then sat on them for a year. after not hearing a peep from the voters. Then the first “money cameras” went up with a “safety” sound bite message from our overlords. -That’s- when the debate started. Thanks for being on the ball there, Free Press.
Some of the “money cams” are made by Lockheed Martin. Their actual, true to life slogan?
“We never forget who we’re working for.”
’nuff said.
October 4th, 2005 at 10:00 pm
I always liked the slogan for GE, the guys who bring us the mini-gun, “We bring good things to life”. I want a t-shirt with a drawing of a mini-gun and that slogan on it.
October 4th, 2005 at 10:17 pm
I’ve Got An Idea For New Ticket Issuing Cameras
Point them at the handicapped parking spots at Wal-Mart to catch those bastards who park there and then sprint into the store.
October 5th, 2005 at 3:08 pm
GE also makes the targeting system for cruise missiles – even the nukes. 🙂
I’ve talked to cops before and they love getting calls about peeps parking illegally in handicapped spots. One told me; “Call this desk and I’ll have someone there in minutes!”
He was serious.
October 6th, 2005 at 11:30 pm
Some questions that come to mind are: Who sets the time length for the yellow light? The city or Redflex? If the answer is Redflex and “their” intersections’ ROI needs a boost could Redflex shorten the yellow to increase revenue? If the answer is the city and the expected revenues dont come would the city shorten the yellow to increase revenue?
It seems foolish in the extreme to pit profits vs safety.