CA. just started sucking a little less

[speeder]

This:

Red-light cameras: Motorists can disregard red-light camera tickets in L.A. - latimes.com

[Rick Lee]

As much of a criminal as I usually am, I kind of don't have a problem with red light cameras. I do intentionally go through them on my bike when I'm there alone and can't get it to cycle because I don't weigh enough to trip the sensor. But I obviously stop and wait a while before doing so. How many times have you seen a car not even slow down, almost kill someone and then thought to yourself, "Where's a cop when you need one?" Well, those cameras catch some of those guys when the cops do not.

[speeder]

That is true but the due process problem trumps the safety advantage.

[Rick Lee]

Oh, I concur and that's why Mrs. Lee is blowing off the photo radar ticker she got in the mail last week. I like having the photo on the fridge door, though.

[Steve Carlton]

I got one of those tickets in Oakland a couple years ago. I was pushing a yellow and got nailed 2 feet from the crosswalk. Not blatant and not going fast, but in violation. Got quoted $500 for the ticket with traffic school option. Went to court hoping for a discount, waited 3 hours and got no love. Purely revenue generation.

On the other hand, CA dropped the sales tax 1% and also reg fees dramatically.

[red-beard]

I got hit with one for doing a right on red!

[scottmandue]

And they cut the sales tax by 1%

But it sucks here... stay away! We are all ghey, ghangster, commie, drug addicts! Danger Will Robinson!

[BeyGon]

And, it's only LA, Orange County isn't going to give up on that revenue source, people here still pay their tickets. or else.

[Zeke]

We didn't need red light cameras until drivers got so bad that 2-3 more cars would filter through on a left turn after the light change rather than waiting for another light cycle. It was so blatant that drivers at the cross street would have to wait after they got the green for all the laggards to move. When it really got bad is when grid lock hit. Now your laggards were parked in the middle of the intersection and no one was going anywhere.

At first the traffic people just put up a bunch of do not block intersection signs. The red light cameras came next. The thing is intersections are not all the same. The camera leaves no room for good judgement. There is one in Long Beach on the lights at an intersection no more than a 100 feet from another one. All the lights change at the same time and trap countless drivers breezing through. If they would just delay the 2nd set of lights by 5 seconds, no one who passed legally thru the 1st set would get a ticket.

Now that's a revenue generator. It is also not working that I know of these days.