I really hate to do this....but I read a "letter to the editor" in the local paper today, and I had to post it. For those of you who are new to this forum, I posted a while back wanting to know where to get the stuff that makes your liscense plates invisible to red light cameras. (www.phantomplate.com) I caught all kinds of hell on this forum from people who misunderstood my intentions. I was unable to explain myself to their satisfaction. I saw this letter written by one of our State Lesgislators, and it explains my concerns exactly. So, with that being said - here it is:

Traffic cameras must be
legal, effective and fair

I would like explain my reasoning behind filing legislation that would ban red light traffic cameras ("State legislator seeks ban on red-light cameras," Dec. 29).

My primary concern is the legality of cities using cameras to catch motorists who run red lights. This concern is shared by Attorney General Jay Nixon, who told the Post-Dispatch earlier this year, "I think it's pretty clear these pictures can't be the sole or only evidence to cite drivers for violating state traffic laws."

Used properly, camera-based traffic monitoring may be a good safety tool, but certain concerns need to be addressed to ensure uniformity statewide. First, contingency agreements, in which companies manufacturing and maintaining cameras get a set percentage of fees collected, should be banned. Second, private companies employing civilians should not be able to control traffic lights and certainly should not issue or profit from citations.
Moreover, if safety is the concern, we would be better off utilizing video technology over still photos. Such technology can prevent a light from turning green if the video shows that a vehicle is still in the intersection. Video would also prevent tickets being given to motorists making legal right turns on red or to those who run red lights to make way for emergency vehicles.
It is my hope that my legislation will ensure that red light cameras are used legally, effectively and fairly in the State of Missouri.

State Sen. J

Missouri

 

We had a slight war over this issue last year, Im not getting involved, just don't put spray on mud over your license plate.

 

aaahh i remember that heated thread racinfan!!!!! i cant remember if i voiced an opinion... also if you tihnk of this... emergency vehicles by law have no restrictions while driving to and from and for an emergency... assuming the cameras and systems would be bought and payed for from out of country companys like them damn commy china-men. the systems would catch the emergency vehicles runnning lights and stopsighns... and statistically speaking... theres an avg of like 105 emergency vehicles running at any givin second in the us .. every second there is atleast 50 vehicles running the lights and sighns... (very very low best geust-emate) so my tax dollers would also be spent on seeing cool little pictures of a fire truck police car and ambulances ... im sorry but i dont need the state viewing a buttload of pics of these vehicles running these traffic devices... say it costs 50 cents for every picture taken to pay for the system... here is some scetchy math

One day is equal to 86400.0 seconds

lets just say theres 1 emergency vehicle runs a light every ten seconds a day (i know its a lot longer time then above..this is for the benefit of the doubt) ... at 50 cents per kodak smile


thats $432,000 a day for nice pictures of a cop car running down a drug trafficer drunk driver... but dont dispare... we spent millions on cameras to let us know what intersection that highspeed pursuit traveled through....nothing like a 200 dollar police radio cant handle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i hate retarded people!! especially when they are in charge of more **** that they can handle... comin up with new ideas that are pointless... i agree with the dude above from the paper... take that money and give it to our troops... let them enjoy more money b/c tomorow they might not be driving a nice dodge ram down the road..they prolly be riding in a hurse.... so these ******** in the government have the freedom to come up with these stupid ideas...

its a vicous cycle of the... "that guy should have ended up as a stain on the matress then a senator"

my rant is done..hope i didnt start another thread debate like the first traffic camera thread did