tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post2575097329949063022..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Red Light Cameras See GreenGus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-36843602672338776182007-09-04T16:10:00.000-06:002007-09-04T16:10:00.000-06:00Wow! Talk about a government that is little better...Wow! Talk about a government that is little better than a band of thieves!Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-48990062725497947842007-09-04T14:00:00.000-06:002007-09-04T14:00:00.000-06:00Gus,The public isn't "taking this lying down" from...Gus,<BR/><BR/>The public isn't "taking this lying down" from indifference. Rather, nobody wants to be painted as an advocate for red-light runners.<BR/><BR/>How do you think the speed limits got so impractically low in so many places?<BR/><BR/>The penultimate example was the thankfully erstwhile <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rome,_Ohio" REL="nofollow">New Rome</A> Ohio.... that one, at least, was bad enough to bring down some state action, but look at what it took.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-37759914313224396032007-09-01T09:33:00.000-06:002007-09-01T09:33:00.000-06:00Paul,Not yet, but I'd heard that Houston was someh...Paul,<BR/><BR/>Not yet, but I'd heard that Houston was somehow going to adjust the settings for its cameras to become more "strict", so I guess that's what this means.<BR/><BR/>Aside from the fact that the public is taking this lying down, what's galling about this is the ritualistic use of cameras to bless off this this non-objective practice as objective.<BR/><BR/>Yes, machines <B>can</B> lie. <BR/><BR/>These cameras almost succeed in making speeding tickets as municipal cash cows seem like a good thing.<BR/><BR/>GusGus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-56303705605949477172007-09-01T09:10:00.000-06:002007-09-01T09:10:00.000-06:00Have you seen this story on non-objective enforcem...Have you seen this story on non-objective enforcement the law using of red light cameras? The cited news story includes a nice video demonstration:<BR/><BR/>http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_163174229.html<BR/><BR/> "Throw out the driver's handbook. There's a new rule in town. When it comes to red light cameras there's a special line that drivers can't cross. Where is it? Here's a hint: it's imaginary.<BR/><BR/> "Cameras in the City of Garland caught Noel Hillis running a red light. He went to an administrative hearing to fight the ticket and lost. The hearing officer, a former Garland police officer, found Hillis liable for running the red. Hillis paid a fine but insisted he was innocent.<BR/><BR/> “'My truck crossed the stop line when the light turned red. He (the hearing officer) told me that the stop line is a lateral line parallel to the curb, which is 10 feet farther out (than) where it actually starts,' Hillis says.<BR/><BR/> "For red light cameras, the violation line is an imaginary one – so imaginary that it's missing from the Texas driver's handbook. The book states that the stop line is before the crosswalk. Normally to avoid a ticket, if a driver has any part of the vehicle over the stop line before the light turns red – there's no violation."<BR/><BR/>Hillis says the city expanded the zone, requiring him to reach the imaginary line before the light turned red.Paul Hsiehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01779998765205366214noreply@blogger.com