Public Safety Or Revenue
Feb 3, 2011 Political
Whenever a red light or speed camera is installed the local government tells us it is for the safety of the driving public. The cameras will decrease accidents and will make people drive more safely. It is hard to say one way or the other if the cameras reduce accidents but one thing is clear, they increase revenue and that is the real reason for having them.
The government claims that the cameras are for safety and revenue is not a concern but when red light cameras stop producing revenue or the amount drops drastically the cameras are moved to another location. If safety was the first concern then the cameras would not be moved. This has happened in the People’s Republic of Maryland.
In Maryland they also leave the speed cameras in construction zones. The cameras, designed to keep speed down to protect construction workers, are left on all the time including the many hours that construction workers are not present. The stated purpose is to protect construction workers but the real purpose is to increase revenue.
These cameras are multiplying in the state of Maryland and they are multiplying for one reason, to increase revenue. Government is very good at starting a program and then increasing the scope of the program to further encroach into our lives. Seat belt laws were once a secondary offense but after a while they became a primary offense. This is now happening in Baltimore County. Speed cameras were placed near schools in order to keep the speed down and children safe.
Now that people are driving slower in these areas the government has decided that it will start using more cameras and they will be moved from one location to another.
It is not about safety, it is about revenue.
I just wish they would stop pretending they care about safety and tell us the real goal, raising money.
Cave Canem!
Never surrender, never submit.
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Tags: lies, Maryland, red light camera, revenue, speed camera
There’s An App For That
Jul 17, 2009 Political
Red light and speed cameras are a source of controversy because they snap pictures of what appears to be an illegal act which is used to send a fine for a predetermined amount. There is no real chance to fight the ticket and the accused is not able to confront the accuser.
The people who install these things claim they are there for the safety of the public. Officials claim the cameras keep people from running red lights or speeding. But there are no points associated with the fines and insurance companies are not notified so there is very little deterrent effect. Most folks would rather pay the fine than have it on their license and reported to insurance. The reason that there are no points and no reports is because these are designed for one thing only and that is to raise revenue.
The cameras are placed by jurisdictions in order to raise MONEY. They do not care about public safety, they care about getting money. Cameras that do not bring in enough revenue are removed or relocated. If it was about safety they would not move them for failure to generate enough revenue.
If it was about safety one would assume that people going the speed limit and stopping at red lights would be a good thing no matter why they are doing it. Not so in DC where the police chief is upset because folks with iPhones are using a service that alerts them to the locations of speed traps and traffic cameras. Cathy Lanier calls people using such devices cowards. Why is it that the people who use such devices to stay out of trouble are cowards while the police use devices to detect speeders? If using a device makes one a coward, what does it say about the police?
More importantly, if this is all about safety then why is the chief worried about people being alerted that they need to watch their speed? DC is a small place but has 290 cameras, nearly 10% of all traffic cameras in the US (based on estimates). Having this many cameras means that people will be alerted a lot in DC. This will keep most of them driving the speed limit in order to avoid a ticket. If public safety is the main concern then isn’t this a good thing?
No, the real reason that the cameras exist is to produce revenue. People who avoid the cameras are avoiding contributing their fair share to the cause and the officials do not like that one little bit.
Why would they be upset if it were a public safety issue? Do we really care why people slow down as long as they do?
Radar cameras in DC generated a billion dollars of revenue during fiscal years 2005 to 2008.
It is all about the money.
Maybe we can replace the police chief with an iPhone. Is there an App for that?
Source:
Washington Examiner
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Tags: iphone, public safety, revenue, speed camera