We hope you enjoy this look back at activism and politicians meeting head-to-head throughout the past year.

#10 - Texas legislature eliminates penalties for driving without a license plate

#9 –  Michael “Big Brother” Bloomberg calls for a “camera on every street corner

#8 - Mayor, Police Chief Take Down Colorado Springs Red Light Cameras

#7 - Redflex’s Gamble Backfires, Sale to Macquarie/Carlyle Canceled, Stock Plunges

#6 - Peoria Red Light Cams Finally Come Down After 3 Yrs of Increased Accidents

#5 - Redflex Kicked Out of Tempe Arizona Over Cash Grab Lawsuit

#4 - 15 Simultaneous Red Light Camera Protests in Florida

#3 - Voters Kick Red Light Cameras Out of 7 Cities in 3 States on Election Day

#2 - Houston City Council Votes 11-1 to Ban Red Light Cameras

#1 - Activists Convice LAPD Comission and LA City Council to Take Cameras Down

Dubious Traffic Engineering and Politics Predominate Over Public Safety on Arizona Roadways

People place blind trust that the governments responsible for determining speed limits are qualified and have conducted a proper analysis to arrive at the correct number. Many firmly believe that driving even just a little above the posted limit can be indeed be extremely dangerous. But this new video on Youtube shows that posted speed limits we see are sometimes nothing more than the result of a political whim, as in the city of Peoria, AZ the limits are established by ordinances that are established by the city council. Although difficult to see, the video shows a roadway in North Peoria, the stretch of Pinnacle Peak between 83rd Ave & 91st Ave where speed limits are set for 30mph going Westbound, but 45 going eastbound. There is no discernible difference in each side of the road (low density residential with no schools or school crossing), and the road is one lane in each direction. What could the engineering justification possibly be to call for a 15mph difference in speed limits based only on what direction you’re going? The only reasonable answer is that the city wants to create a speed trap.

The video also shows another location just south of Happy Valley Road on 91st Ave. As you approach the 3-way intersection, the last 1/8 of a mile drops from 40mph to 30mph. When you turn from Happy Valley onto 91st Ave southbound, you can go 45mph for the 1st 1/8th mile, then the limit drops to 30mph for about 3/8 of a mile, then raises up to a standard 40mph limit. Again, there are no schools and no discernible changes in road design or neighborhoods over these distances. These limits are nothing more than a speed trap, and nothing more than city officials screwing with drivers.

What’s interesting is how all of this sharply contrasts with information published by ADOT about speed limits:

[Since most citizens can be relied upon to behave in a reasonable manner as they go about their daily activities, many of our laws reflect observations of the way reasonable people behave under most circumstances. Traffic regulations are invariably based upon observations of the behavior of groups of travelers under various conditions.

[Generally speaking, traffic laws that reflect the behavior of the majority of vehicle operators are found to be successful, while laws that arbitrarily restrict the majority of drivers encourage wholesale violations, lack public support, and usually fail to bring about desirable changes in driving behavior. This is especially true of speed zoning.]

ADOT continues to explain that reducing speed limits will NOT change traffic speeds and will not change accident frequency and that there is no “direct relationship between posted speed limits and accident frequency” and that, “speed in itself is not a major cause of accidents.” ADOT then proceeds to identify such locations as those described in North Peoria as a speed trap:

[It is accepted within the traffic engineering profession that there is a demonstrated need to produce as much uniformity as possible in the traffic flow and to eliminate the so-called speed trap. A speed trap may be defined as a street or road which is wide enough, straight and smooth enough, and sufficiently free of visibility limiting obstructions to permit driving a certain speed, but where the law nevertheless calls for a much lower speed.]

According to ADOT, “Speed zoning in Arizona is based on the widely accepted principle of setting speed limits as near as practicable to the speed at or below which 85 percent of the drivers are traveling.” But after spending a few minutes on the side of the road at either of these locations one can clearly see that the 85th percentile speed is closer to 40 or 45mph (common on Phoenix-area arterial roads) than the 30mph displayed on the speed limit signs.

So why is the city of Peoria so careless about road safety? There are only a few possible answers:

1. Arrogant and/or incompetent city council who either believes they are qualified traffic engineers or that they know more than traffic engineers.

2. They have allowed incompetent city traffic engineers to remain employed.

3. They are more interested in revenue generation from speed traps than safety.

For clues to the answer, we can look to other city council decisions. Over 3 years ago, Peoria started a pilot red light camera program at 4 intersections. The results were disastrous, leading to over a 100% increase in accidents. But for some reason (read: $$$), the city decided to renew and extend the “pilot” program multiple times (guess they don’t understand what you’re supposed to do when a pilot program fails). Finally after 3 years and continued disastrous results, the city reluctantly ended the dangerous cash cow red light camera program after being unable to justify the program under the guise of safety any longer.

But the city of Peoria isn’t alone in the world of dubious traffic engineering. Take the new stretch of 303 West of I-17 for example. This is brand new freeway, 2 lanes in each direction separated by a significant distance. This stretch has very few on and off ramps, and very little traffic. Yet the speed limit is only 55mph! Contrast this to the 101 freeway which has a great deal of traffic and is usually crowded, on and off ramps every 1 mile, and the limit is 10mph faster. I don’t think you have to be an engineer to know that the new stretch of 303 freeway is every bit as safe as the 101, if not safer. So why the lower limits?

Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 28-702 allows the establishment of speed limits on the State Highway System “upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation.” The MUTCD also requires a traffic engineering study. So where is this engineering and traffic investigation that found a speed limit of 55mph to be appropriate on the 303 but not on the 101?

State and local governments have become lazy, arrogant, and exploitative. They have forgotten that their purpose is to serve the people and do what’s in the best interest for the public rather than the government. ADOT’s own literature contradicts their actions and appears to violate state law. This isn’t about safety. It’s about what it’s always about: power and money.

Florida Red Light Cameras Scam Woman on Fixed Income

Nobody who’s paying attention is going to pretend the US economy is in good shape, nor has it been since 2007.

In Green Cove, Florida a retiree was not only sent one of these scam tickets, but was charged extra just to fight it in court.

What a racket they have going out there in North Florida. From the news report below by First Coast News, it sounds like the cameras are on the way to even more communities.

Will the citizens of Green Cove say enough is enough?

Texas Gaffe Means No License Plate = No Problem

Every motorist in Texas is now exempt from photo tickets from speed cameras, red light cameras and toll road enforcement cameras, starting January 1st, 2012.Texas legislature left a key provision out of the latest version of their Transportation Omnibus Bill that penalizes drivers for not visibly displaying a license plate on their vehicle, reports TheNewspaper.com. [BILL]

Once this bill becomes law, it cannot be changed for two years because Texas Legislature only convenes every other year.

[READ MORE]

If that’s the case, maybe they can decide who should be issued a driver license as well.

A fervently pro-Redflex publication out of Phoenix, AZ, The Arizona Republic, whose editor has bounced between positions at that newspaper and Redflex is cheerleading this new “break through.”

Quoted from the article about this technology being tested live during rush hour in Chandler, AZ:

The upcoming Redflex Traffic Systems technology would sense when a car is traveling too fast to stop at the red light, and it would hold cars coming from the other directions until the red light runner has passed, police said.

[READ MORE]

Syracuse Scraps Plan for 50 Red Light Cameras

More and more cities are now using caution before wantonly installing red light cameras, which have proven over decades to have no safety benefit.

Sure, all the money from Redflex and American Traffic Solutions (ATS) lobbyists is still appealing, but they tend not to donate to those who’ve lost their jobs after thwarting public will.

Syracuse, NY is the latest to take a wise step back and examine the situation before dotting their public roads with Big Brother.

The city had been listening to bid from multiple vendors, which included both Redflex and ATS.

Mayor of Syracuse Stephanie Minor’s chief of staff Bill Ryan was quoted as saying, “As other cities are running away from this, why would we run into it?”

This map outlines the consequences of a bill that just passed through both houses of Illinois legislature. If Governor Quinn signs off on this monster, the bulk of the city of Chicago will become eligible for surveillance by a profit driven, corrupt foreign corporation, Redflex Traffic Systems. This is clearly not about safety.

[READ MORE]

Redflex Traffic Systems will say goodbye to Albuquerque in 60 days. Last night, the city council, headed by the efforts of Councilor Dan Lewis, voted to uphold the will of the people and get rid of the city’s red light cameras.

Also gone will be the Redflex “Scamera” vans that take up space on the side of the road and have been known to burst into flames due to over heated electronics.

This decision comes on the heels of an advisory vote by the citizens of Albuquerque last month that favored ending the program.

KQRE has more on this development:

photo courtesy of PortLavacaMainStreet.com

Port LaVaca, TX has some serious issues surrounding their red light camera program. The latest news, in the form of accident figures, further proves what a terrible choice the mayor and town council have made for their citizens. Let’s start from the beginning.

January 2009: Port LaVaca, a town of around 12,000 which is located between Corpus Christi and Galveston on the Gulf Coast of Texas, installs red light cameras, with no justification, after a decision by their town council who had been heavily lobbied by Redflex. Accidents were not a problem at any of the intersections where cameras were installed according to a report just released. [Report]

[READ MORE]

In 2009, Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill in to law that would allow for toll roads in Arizona. So far, that Toll Road Authority has yet to be activated, but has been lurking like a dark menace.

Talks about converting U.S. I-15 into a Toll Road in Arizona had been going on in the secret chambers of AZ bureaucrats at ADOT until the Governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, caught wind of it.

[READ MORE]