The Coronavirus thread

Quote: Gandler

....I disagree. I mentioned it earlier. But, red light cameras do decrease collisions at intersections where they are installed. This is simply true, and there are endless incidences in cities all over that people can look up. They are usually installed after a certain number or significantly higher than usual collision rate at risky intersections. They are almost never installed overnight at a random intersection to generate revenue (though that is a fine side effect), its usually after complaints and studies of collisions at "high risk" intersections.

The camera's are about revenue. I would like to see a study done on what the difference would be in saving lives by adding one second to a yellow light versus millions of dollars worth of traffic cams that have a high maintenance cost and are often beaten in court. Phoenix decided they don't want them after spending millions in installation.

Camera's aren't about saving lives, that's the sales pitch. I live about 500 ft. from the most dangerous intersection I have ever seen. We watched one young man on his 21st birthday burn to death wrapped around one of the signal poles. He was trying to rush a yellow light on his way to his birthday party, police figured he was travelling at near 100, the light changed and another car entered from 90*. One second added to the timer on the yellow light would have saved his life easy.

I have seen so many people run this light, I expect them to now. I wait when I'm stuck at a red, and have watched people cross in front of me when my turn to enter the intersection is signaled by the green light. Sometimes I think about honking at them, but fear what else they may do?

If it's lives we want to save, the solution is to slow down at the proper times, sometimes it only takes one second.

No quotes, cell phone.

I understand about all that stuff, but:

:Channels Appalachian Accent:

“The first decade of my drivin’ years were spent on backroads, boy.”

I’m not actually calling you boy, it was for effect.

Anyway, yes, there is generally a reason for the speed change. Some speed changes just mean you left one small town and entered another that prefers a speed limit that is +/- 5-10. My point is that one speed change in particular was when you switched from State Highway to residential (though was still simultaneously the State Highway, but also had an Avenue name) that had no advance warning other than the speed limit sign itself. The sign was always right around a slight bend and was occasionally obscured by foliage. Within 100 feet of that point, a cop would sit with his speed gun and it wasn’t even clear you had entered residential yet.

That’s the sort of situation I would call a, “Speed trap,” but all of the locals knew about it.

There is an advance sign now that the speed limit is going to change, but that was not always the case.

It was the sort of thing you’d make sure to tell your family or friends about if they were visiting. It was notorious.

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State roads fit the description in such areas where the state controls and maintains the road.

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I would maybe agree with you on the red light cameras if you just got a warning with no other penalty for a first offense. Most people who get nailed for any moving violation usually make a habit of doing moving violations, but I don’t like the idea of being penalized for a one off mistake just because they had a camera there.

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That citation was for my taillight having a cracked cover. I had the transparent red corrective tape over it, so I’m actually a little impressed he was even able to see that.

I’m definitely right about that one specific jurisdiction. The main reason I attempted a not guilty plea was because it wouldn’t have changed the price of being found guilty v. just pleading guilty. I also wasn’t guilty, but I’m not surprised that my actual-in fact-innocence did not matter. I kept trying to read the code so I could explain my position and he threatened to hold me in contempt, as well! I think what you are talking about is more common and may generally be the case for traffic citations, which this was not.

Quote: rxwine

There’s definitely a camera catching toll booth runners. I paid out $150 in fines on all the ones I drove through during the night on a trip from Florida to NJ.

You can usually negotiate those down, should you ever find yourself in the same situation again.

Quote: Gandler

In NJ right now all tolls are camera only due to COVID-19. (unless it recently went back into cash operation)....

Meaning you just drive through it and they send you the bill in the mail, based on your plate, you don't have to stop and throw coins in the basket or go to the cashier. They take a photo of your plate and mail you a bill.

If you have EZ pass its not much of a difference. Which kind of begs the question of why EZ Pass was necessary in the first place? ... If their auto license tech could have been doing this all along.....


https://www.nj.com/opinion/2020/03/let-crisis-bring-cashless-society-to-nj-toll-roads-editorial.html

Because it costs more not to have EZ Pass and they like money. It’s just an excuse to charge some people more, principally, people who use the turnpike less frequently who would be less inclined to get EZ Pass.

What bothers me more is that they now send you the correspondence that they used to try to charge a $25 fee to send you for blowing the toll.

Quote: petroglyph

The camera's are about revenue. I would like to see a study done on what the difference would be in saving lives by adding one second to a yellow light versus millions of dollars worth of traffic cams that have a high maintenance cost and are often beaten in court. Phoenix decided they don't want them after spending millions installing them.

Camera's aren't about saving lives, that's the sales pitch. I live about 500 ft. from the most dangerous intersection I have ever seen. We watched one young man on his 21st birthday burn to death wrapped around one of the signal poles. He was trying to rush a yellow light on his way to his birthday party, police figured he was travelling at near 100, the light changed and another car entered from 90*. One second added to the timer on the yellow light would have saved his life easy.

I have seen so many people run this light, I expect them to now. I wait when I'm stuck at a red, and have watched people cross in front of me when my turn to enter the intersection is signaled by the green light. Sometimes I think about honking at them, but fear what else they may do?

If it's lives we want to save, the solution is to slow down at the proper times, sometimes it only takes one second.

I agree about extending yellow lights, some turns (which are often the red light camera targets) have short yellow lights, for regular lights there is a standard formula, *I think* its 1 second for every 10MPH for a regular (straight aways not a turn light) traffic light, I think if turn signals followed this formula it would help. Often yellow lights at left turn lights are shorter (sometimes alarmingly short).... Also, extending the overlap (when both lights are red before the other side's turn green can help).

But, yes revenue is a factor (is that a bad thing?), but they do decrease collisions and save lives. There are many studies that point to this.

The policeman (or woman) should be 6 feet from my car window anyway. I don't think I need a mask.

Quote: JCW09

Quote: ams288

I don’t have one, and won’t be making one.

All I can say is if the election was today Biden would win in a landslide.

But a lot can change in ~100 days. I’m not counting Donny out.

What a chicken $hit answer.

I do give him credit though because he knows deep down that Trump is a shoo in come Nov.
DEMocRATS are going to get their asses handed to them. 😂😂

Yep, this is what the smart people have been saying all along.
Too bad the libbies won't listen to us. 🙄

You gotta love them libbies though. Corona is soooooooooooooooooooo deadly that you may not have any symptoms!! 😂😂

Quote: Gandler

I agree about extending yellow lights, some turns (which are often the red light camera targets) have short yellow lights, for regular lights there is a standard formula, *I think* its 1 second for every 10MPH for a regular (straight aways not a turn light) traffic light, I think if turn signals followed this formula it would help. Often yellow lights at left turn lights are shorter (sometimes alarmingly short).... Also, extending the overlap (when both lights are red before the other side's turn green can help).

But, yes revenue is a factor (is that a bad thing?), but they do decrease collisions and save lives. There are many studies that point to this.

I'm ok with stoplight cameras probably, at select sites. But not for speed or other traffic control. I think for the same money they can put boots on the ground and the troopers can do other things when people aren't running lights.

I know the police need funding but I don't want them dressed up like NATO military, or driving mine resistant deuce and a halfs. I don't think the locals need rpg's either or whatever shoulder rockets some of them received surplus. Give a guy a rocket, then he needs training and practice rounds. Pretty soon you're talking real money.

The thing about speed traps [there's one across the street from where I live], it widen's the effective area of traffic policing, if people get used to seeing radar, they slow down even when the cops aren't there. It's a good place for popo to meet up and discuss police matters without having to go to the coffee shop. They can meet up with CI's and so forth. They can even meet some of the locals and be on a half assed, not enemy's basis. Talk to kids and so forth.

Quote: ams288

I’d say if the cop doesn’t want to get sick, they shouldn’t be pulling people over for something stupid like speeding during a friggin pandemic. 🤷‍♂️ (I know it’s not a popular opinion here, but I don’t care)

But I’m honestly curious now about what the laws of the various states and localities say about wearing a mask while in your own car.

Except pulling somebody over for speeding is not stupid. It saves lives. Like I said you are mkre likley to die in a traffic collision than murder, terror attacks, and coronavirus combined.

So this whole "cops shouldn't be issuing tickets its a pandemic" argument makes no sense.

Mask laws vary widely, but many cities require them outside if you cannot socially distance. Where I live its a thousand dollar ticket (police will first offer you a mask and tell you to put it on, and only ticket you if you refuse) , but our insane govenor is trying to stop it (one of the few govenors in the country that is against masks)...