Hey just wanted to drop my humble O of red light cameras. Let me state ahead of time that I didn’t get caught by one (I hope). One thing that really pi$$ed me off was that cops could violate traffic laws and get away with it. I thought that these cameras for lights and speed will equalize it and cops when off duty would have to follow the laws just like the rest of us. But I have heard of people leagally running red lights (yeilding to energency vechicles) getting ticketed and loosing the case - hey that $ux.
Today I saw a firetruck on Madison Ave (NYC) w/ siren and lights going by. A cab stopped at the light refused to move until the firetruck was right behind him and stopped. He slowly moved a little and only went through when he was certain that the truck would be in the photo too if there was one there. Now I assume he got nabbed by one of these cameras - maybe not but it made sense to me.
Now I say that a still photo can tell you zilch - certainly not enought to find you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
I hope that’s not true. If it is, then it makes absolutely no sense. After all it’s the law that one must yeld to emergency vehicles. That would mean you had to break one law to obey another law.
I am generally for them since they take some of the burden off of the police force, freeing them up for more pressing matters.
However, I am worried that since the citation process has become so automated, “rubber stamp” verdicts may be issued regardless of extenuating circumstances such as the ones mentioned in the OP.
The adjudication process still needs to be properly honored, not mechanized along with the cameras. Example: Last year I got a parking citation that was totally bogus. I was given a ticket for parking on the cleaning side of the street -BUT- it was not on the posted cleaning day.
The ticket clearly had the correct date on it, but the sign stated that the next day was when that side was to be swept. A simple matter I thought. Just send in the ticket with a request for adjudication by mail, explaining the obvious glaring mistake, and everything will be resolved.
Of course that is not what happened. Several months later I got a form letter with nobody’s signature on it stating that I had not provided sufficient evidence and therefore my fine was valid. I guess I was supposed to unfasten the sign from the pole and mail it in with the ticket, or maybe hire a lawyer to go in to the BTA (Bureau of Traffic Adjudication) and argue my case for me. Or take a day off work (use vacation time or lose $200 in pay) to show up in person and contest a $20 ticket. Of course they knew I would not do that and their $20 was essentially in the bank.
Unless the evidence (the photos) are looked at carefully and the benefit of the doubt given to the accused, there are going to be lots of people who will have to bow to the machine because they are unable to fight it.
Did I mention I generally favor the cameras?
K2,
Most of those cameras shoot a certain period (no more than a second or two) after the light changes. The cabbie probably figured if he waited a few seconds, the camera would deactivate. (Else it would take pix of crosstown traffic) Then he doesn’t get the ticket.
I keep up my letter writing campaigns around here whenever old Harvey, “Mayor” of Jackson wants to install those cameras. I am totally against them being used here.
Of course, I also cheer whenever the legislature shoots down the yearly request from the Miss Sherrif’s Assoc. to use Radar Guns.
Attrayant–
Mind if I ask a few questions? You said you took a picture of the sign. That’s the right idea, but how’s the court to know that you’re submitting a photo of the correct sign? And not some sign two blocks away that conveniently bolsters your case? Did you, for instance, submit a wide-angle photo showing the street name and an identifiable street number on the building you were parked in front of? Most city parking tickets are written like that “Vehicle location: parked opposite 123 Main Street.” Then you included a set of tighter and tighter close-ups till you got to the sign in question, so the judge can tell that it’s the same sign as in Wide Shot #1? And that this particular sign covers the space in which you were parked?
I’ve beaten incorrectly issued traffic tickets using just photos, but you have to use ENOUGH so that the judge sees that you’re right, and the cop was wrong.
Or maybe you just got a bonehead; at the municipal court level, that’s not exactly unheard of…
My sympathies, in any case.