Smile for the traffic camera

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Updated Dec 14, 2009

Traffic cameras are being used for more than red light monitoring these days. The Wall Street Journal gives an excellent update on how cities are increasingly using them to catch speeders and others by way of reading license plates.

 

The core app of red-light spying is still popular. And profitable. Tiny Schaumburg, Ill., put a camera at a mall and issued $1 million in citations for red-light runners over three months, The Journal reports.

 

There’s about 3,000 red light and speeder cameras in operation now, and protests have likewise increased. One complaint is that private companies make about $5,000 per snooping eye each month.

 

The story mentions Photoradarscam.com, which is devoted to protesting the use of cameras. It argues that instead of enhancing safety and providing other benefits,

 

  • Cameras Cause an Increase in Accidents Where They Are Installed
  • Cameras Are About Revenue Only
  • Cameras Malfunction Constantly and Do Not Modify Driver Behavior
  • Camera Programs Are Illegal and Unconstitutional

Another counter-offensive website is www.Trapster.com, though it covers all types of speed traps. It includes a comprehensive national map with traps pinpointed.

— Max Heine

 

 

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