Red Light Cameras & Malfunctions

[SidS1045]

WTOP Radio: Rockville [Maryland] sees massive jump in red-light camera tickets

Red-light camera tickets were up 343 percent between Aug. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012 compared with the same period in 2011, according to an analysis by WTOP and AAA Mid-Atlantic.

In those five months last year, police issued 15,133 tickets, compared with 3,423 in 2011.

"This is outrageous," says John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic's manager of public and government affairs.

I'd almost bet cash US currency that the local authorities short-cycled the yellow light.  It's a common trick where the object is generating revenue.

What I'm still waiting for is a study showing that red-light cameras actually save lives and/or prevent accidents.  Further, I'd like to see a study proving that running red lights is a widespread enough problem to warrant red-light cameras.  And...I'd like to see those studies made by disinterested third parties, certainly not by local governments or the red-light-camera pushers.

[agentsteel53]

If you won't, I will.  Make them prove it, even if you know you're guilty.  Clogging up the court systems like this just might make some people take a second look at a system which is all about generating revenue, with the safety of motorists a distant second.

it might not be worth it for me to go fly back to a jurisdiction 8 states away, likely during a work day.

[Brandon]

3 more Redflex execs out as fallout continues for city's red light camera firm

The president, chief financial officer and top lawyer for Chicago's red light camera company resigned this week amid an escalating corruption scandal that has cost Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. its lucrative, decadelong relationship with the city.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration banned the company from competing for the upcoming speed camera contract and went further last month by announcing that Redflex would lose its red light contract when it expires in June. The Chicago program, with more than 380 cameras, has been the company's largest in North America and is worth about 13 percent of worldwide revenue for Redflex Holdings. Since 2003 it has generated about $100 million for Redflex and more than $300 million in ticket revenue for the city.

How corrupt do you have to be to have the whistle blown on you by Chicago City Hall?  Or at least thrown under the proverbial bus by them.

[Tarkus]

I have to say, seeing Redflex get its comeuppance--from a city notorious for corruption--is hilarious.  They've also halted trading on their stock on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) 3 times in the past month, and then there's this gem from one of their recent investor's reports (page 24 of this document):

The current investigation may identify other instances of similar dealings with the city of Chicago and/or other jurisdictions.

As Redflex operates all the cameras in Oregon (except Portland's, which is run by Xerox), hopefully, when Redflex inevitably goes belly-up (their stock is going to be less than $1 when trading resumes), the mess will have left a bad enough taste in the respective jurisdictions' mouths, that they won't run off and sign with equally-execrable ATS or Xerox.

[cpzilliacus]

A Maryland judge has ruled the arrangement between ACS and Baltimore County illegal.  Posted a pointer to the details in the Baltimore Sun here in a thread related to speed cameras in Maryland.

[Tarkus]

So ACS/Xerox is getting some comeuppance, too.  Now it's just a matter of time before the other shoe drops on American Traffic Solutions (ATS).

Given that "bounties" are basically how most BOOM contracts operate, that could send a ripple effect through Maryland.  At least, one would hope.

[cpzilliacus]

So ACS/Xerox is getting some comeuppance, too.  Now it's just a matter of time before the other shoe drops on American Traffic Solutions (ATS).

Given that "bounties" are basically how most BOOM contracts operate, that could send a ripple effect through Maryland.  At least, one would hope.

I suspect that ACT/Xerox is probably not so enthused about appealing this to the Court of Special Appeals (that's Maryland's intermediate appellate court) or to the Court of Appeals (that is the highest state court).

If they appeal, and lose the appeal, it is likely that either appeals court will issue a "reported" opinion (called a "published" opinion by some courts), which is binding on the lower courts statewide.

[hobsini2]

I want to say the camera output has to be vetted by a human in most jurisdictions to ensure the information would be legally valid in court, to prevent these sort of scenarios.

Presumably, there needs to be a human check of the plates before they are processed.  When I got a speeding camera violation, there was an officer's signature on the ticket.

I know that at least with the city of Chicago when the red light camera ticket is issued, the show photographs of where you were and the light being red along with the license plate of the vehicle. But they also have a website where they can show you the video of the offense as long as you have the ticket number.  I had to deal with this a couple of times with some of our limo drivers.  I believe that the suburban ones do the same too but I have not gotten any tickets in the mail for them to check that.

[dfwtbear]

I was wondering what happens to the red light tickets that camera picks up when you had to run the light because of an emergency vehicle behind you with lights and siren on?

I don't have a link, but I heard of a funeral procession getting red light tickets. the pic and video clearly showed the motorcycle cop in the intersection blocking for the funeral folks.

[jeffandnicole]

I was wondering what happens to the red light tickets that camera picks up when you had to run the light because of an emergency vehicle behind you with lights and siren on?

I don't have a link, but I heard of a funeral procession getting red light tickets. the pic and video clearly showed the motorcycle cop in the intersection blocking for the funeral folks.

The video is unavailable, but the story of the incident is still in this article:

http://www.wsvn.com/features/articles/helpmehoward/MI92368/