Sandusky: Red Light Cameras May Be Coming

[The Interpreter]

I already know many, many people who have gotten speeding tickets in Sandusky, some for as little as 1 mile per hour over the limit. Now this:

http://www.sanduskyr...ch-you-sandusky

Sigh. And if you think this won't affect Cedar Point, you probably have another think a comin'

Don't miss the comments:

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/sandusky/2010/jul/18/traffic-camera-could-catch-you-sandusky#comments

[bkroz]

Well what's a more perfect way to top off your day of $160+ admission for four, a $50 lunch, $30 in gas, $10 for parking, and a $25 stuffed Snoopy than a $100 red light ticket coming a week later in the mail?

Certainly will leave a good taste in the mouths of visitors, right? Certain to entice them to return again, isn't it?

[The Interpreter]

And it arrives in the mail weeks after your visit...just a memory of your visit to Sandusky, the town that loves Cedar Fair's visitors so very much...

[PREMiERdrum]

We've had them in Columbus for a few years now... the red light cameras are bad, but the ones that cause a big stink around here are the speed cameras. Columbus hasn't adopted them but they've made their way into a few of the suburbs, although most that brought them in have already stopped using them.

From what I've seen, they do little to improve safety, and are extremely difficult to fight (example: if you're issued a red light camera citation in Columbus, you have to pay the citation, then go to court and argue your case, then wait 2-4 months for a refund). This is surely another instance of a municipality sticking their hand in the pocket of those who help pay their bills.

An interesting side note, the city only gets a portion of the fine, as the company who sells and installs the cameras gets a cut of each ticket issued.

[The Interpreter]

And Redflex is not even an American company...they are Australian. They just lost the Arizona contract for speed cameras, too....Tickets there started at $181.

[shark6495]

well i sit in the middle of the road on this one..... if you dont run a red light, then well what do you need to worry about? Yellow lights mean slow down and prepare to stop, not gun it hoping to beat the red....

now with that said, I do know that sometimes the lights are triggered by approaching speed (the camera decides if the speed at which you are approaching is enough to stop or are you planning on rolling through) or if you cross the line (IE if you roll 2 feet over the line its the same as running the light).... what I find works the best for traffic flow and speedsters are what were in covington/newport. It was the lights that monitor speed. If you stopped at the first red light then when it turned green you would have a direct path as long as you kept the speed limit. If the light saw you going faster then it would trigger the red light causing you to stop... keeps everyone at a nice pace....

There is a solution to many of these "crime preventors" and thats to not break the law.... whats the difference of a red light camera or paying a cop to sit at each light ready to pull over light runners?

[KIfan73]

They installed several of those here where I live a couple years ago...and removed them all last fall.

[Oldiesmann]

And Redflex is not even an American company...they are Australian. They just lost the Arizona contract for speed cameras, too....Tickets there started at $181.

Interesting to note that they just lost that contract in Arizona, because their North American branch is based in Arizona.

I find it hard to take this company seriously. One of the videos they link to in the "recent news" section of their website is this:

<embed style='display:block' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:340733' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed>

I'm not sure what they're using for this, but I would not consider The Daily Show a credible news source, especially since they're better known for making fun of current news items.

[windshawne]

It makes things worse. I have seen people speed up if they are in that "point of no return" zone, and I've also seen people slam on their brakes and create another accident. Those things need to go, period. If Sandusky is that hard up for money, they don't need my nickels.

[flightoffear1996]

I really think with the red light cameras the city is looking to make money and not even premote driving more safely.

[Browntggrr]

Well what's a more perfect way to top off your day of $160+ admission for four, a $50 lunch, $30 in gas, $10 for parking, and a $25 stuffed Snoopy than a $100 red light ticket coming a week later in the mail?

Certainly will leave a good taste in the mouths of visitors, right? Certain to entice them to return again, isn't it?

Or we could just expect people to actually follow the rules of the road and not blame their destination for the ticket they received for being and idiot driver.

Red light cameras are not cheap- usually around $50,000. If people are aware of them, they actually may follow the rules. And municipalities will not spend that kind of money unless there is a need for it- and believe me- it is needed.

Cleveland Rd./ US-6 coming from the East can be quite dangerous from 8:00am on when CP is open. There have been numerous times I have been going the speed limit and passed like I am standing still. It is a dangerous stretch of road because aggressive drivers make it unsafe. I will often take a right off of Cleveland Rd. onto Cedar Point Rd. and go in "the back way" to CP. I avoid not only the idiot drivers, I avoid the Causeway traffic.

[PREMiERdrum]

Red light cameras are not cheap- usually around $50,000. If people are aware of them, they actually may follow the rules. And municipalities will not spend that kind of money unless there is a need for it- and believe me- it is needed.

In several communities, the cameras are "free". The company installs them at no cost, and then takes a percentage of the ticket revenue.

[Browntggrr]

Red light cameras are not cheap- usually around $50,000. If people are aware of them, they actually may follow the rules. And municipalities will not spend that kind of money unless there is a need for it- and believe me- it is needed.

In several communities, the cameras are "free". The company installs them at no cost, and then takes a percentage of the ticket revenue.

Do you have any information on that fact?

[The Interpreter]

It's true. The two major providers install them, do the ticketing, the collection and even the refunding if a ticket ends up being challenged. Most places, you must pay first in order to challenge the ticket...a provision that has been found unconstitutional by some courts. Some provision about presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law, not just by a camera...

Even where vendor fees are charged, cities/states normally exceed those fees and raise revenue. Here's just one example:

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/news/41186504.html

[count_of_tuscany]

Having lost my last girlfriend (not Countess_of_Tuscany) to a car crash involving someone running a red light, I would gladly have these cameras installed. Somehow, the killer got away without charges and fled the US back to their home country.

[erniebald57]

I live in Chillicothe, Ohio, and the city installed red light cameras early last year. They are little more than a money grab, under the guise of making intersections more safe. The studies that show intersections are more safe and accident free are disputed by studies that show more rear end collisions and people slamming on their brakes. Second, if you want to go to "trial", it costs you $100, whether you are guilty or not. You don't appear in front of a judge, rather some random person that the city has empowered to handle the cases. The whole thing reeks of unconstitutional. A very large percentage of the money also goes not to the city, but to Redflex or whichever operator it is.

The town leaders in Chillicothe voted to install them without consultation or acknowledgment of the opinion of its citizens. The citizens didn't like that too much, so we banded together and formed a very large petition to put the issue to the ballot. The mayor and council tried to sell us a bill of goods about being locked into a contract, but the contract has loopholes. After we spoke loud enough the issue was put to the ballot, and the citizens voted to get rid of them in a landslide. They were then taken down. The mayor was going to appeal the vote, but in the end he backed down. It's amazing what politicians can get done when they are scared to lose their job.

If you want to know how to get rid or prevent the installation of red light cameras, Chillicothe is a good case study. Get enough people organized and the media on your side, and you can make something happen. It might be tougher in Columbus or some other large city, but I guarantee you that if you look long enough, you'll find more than enough people who either don't like them or want them down.

[Hendrick]

We've had them in Columbus for a few years now... the red light cameras are bad, but the ones that cause a big stink around here are the speed cameras. Columbus hasn't adopted them but they've made their way into a few of the suburbs, although most that brought them in have already stopped using them.

Who has speed cameras? I haven't heard such a thing yet.

[Colonel_SoB_fan]

Hamilton has speed cameras

[Oldiesmann]

Hamilton has a single mobile speed camera. It's a specially-modified SUV that they can park someplace to set up a temporary unmanned speed trap.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

They are nothing but a way for cities to raise revenues, plain and simple. These cases are winding their way through the court systems and it most likely will go before the supreme court on grounds they are unconstitutional. YOU have the right to confront the accuser that issued the ticket, just like if the officer himself stopped you. But all these machines do is take a picture of the license plate and the speed and issues the ticket to the registered owner. It does not mean the person driving the car is the owner. Don't you think Mason has these revenue machines in thier sites? They are just licking their chops on issueing tickets on Kings Island Drive.

[windshawne]

This is nauseating-I just got a tax bill from mason-I don't own property here, and they got money on the 15th, so why am I getting another bill? I pay higher taxes in my work city than mason. I tell ya Alaska is looking better all the time-up there, they use binoculars to read your electric meter-the company won't step foot on property because of the risk of getting shot. Sounds to me like that's the last truly free place in America.

I doubt the people up there even know what a red light camera is

[Browntggrr]

I don't necessarily disagree with the "money making" aspect of it.

But if people just followed the simple rules of the road, and just drive safe, I really don't see why the cameras are such a problem.

[The Interpreter]

This is nauseating-I just got a tax bill from mason-I don't own property here, and they got money on the 15th, so why am I getting another bill? I pay higher taxes in my work city than mason. I tell ya Alaska is looking better all the time-up there, they use binoculars to read your electric meter-the company won't step foot on property because of the risk of getting shot. Sounds to me like that's the last truly free place in America.

I doubt the people up there even know what a red light camera is

My electric company reads my meter by driving a car down the street...and the meter is in the basement. It sends a radio frequency to the car...the company has not been in my basement in years.

[windshawne]

This is nauseating-I just got a tax bill from mason-I don't own property here, and they got money on the 15th, so why am I getting another bill? I pay higher taxes in my work city than mason. I tell ya Alaska is looking better all the time-up there, they use binoculars to read your electric meter-the company won't step foot on property because of the risk of getting shot. Sounds to me like that's the last truly free place in America.

I doubt the people up there even know what a red light camera is

My electric company reads my meter by driving a car down the street...and the meter is in the basement. It sends a radio frequency to the car...the company has not been in my basement in years.

I did that in dayton, but they had to do an actual reading once a year. I'm glad I don't live there now.

The way this summer's been, it does cross my mind.

[PREMiERdrum]

We've had them in Columbus for a few years now... the red light cameras are bad, but the ones that cause a big stink around here are the speed cameras. Columbus hasn't adopted them but they've made their way into a few of the suburbs, although most that brought them in have already stopped using them.

Who has speed cameras? I haven't heard such a thing yet.

The City of Heath (Licking County) had speed cameras for nearly a year. They were set up in a few places along State Route 79, and all were placed just after a transitional speed zone (posted 55mph, then 45mph, finally 35mph). They were calibrated to ticket at +6 over the posted limit within the zone. Businesses saw a significant drop in customer traffic because people were using alternate routes. A petition drive got the issue put to ballot and voters decided overwhelmingly to have them removed.

[markr]

I have to put in my 2 cents on this issue.

Seventeen years ago, I was on my way home from work. I remember getting off at an exit because I had to go to the store to get something for dinner. The next thing I remember, I was lying in the Emergency Room. Some idiot had run a red light and T-Boned me on the passenger side. Luckily I didn't have anything less than a concussion. If that idiot had hit me on the driver's side I would probably not be with you now. That accident caused my parents a lot of agony. Could you imagine the agony they would have gone through if I had been killed?

Simply put, I have absolutely 0 sympathy for people who run red lights. If cameras catch them in the act, serves them right. Maybe it will make them more careful and save countless lives.

[count_of_tuscany]

I have to put in my 2 cents on this issue.

Seventeen years ago, I was on my way home from work. I remember getting off at an exit because I had to go to the store to get something for dinner. The next thing I remember, I was lying in the Emergency Room. Some idiot had run a red light and T-Boned me on the passenger side. Luckily I didn't have anything less than a concussion. If that idiot had hit me on the driver's side I would probably not be with you now. That accident caused my parents a lot of agony. Could you imagine the agony they would have gone through if I had been killed?

Simply put, I have absolutely 0 sympathy for people who run red lights. If cameras catch them in the act, serves them right. Maybe it will make them more careful and save countless lives.

That is exactly why I put my comment up above. I'm glad nothing worse happened to you. The aftermath sucks.

[markr]

I have to put in my 2 cents on this issue.

Seventeen years ago, I was on my way home from work. I remember getting off at an exit because I had to go to the store to get something for dinner. The next thing I remember, I was lying in the Emergency Room. Some idiot had run a red light and T-Boned me on the passenger side. Luckily I didn't have anything less than a concussion. If that idiot had hit me on the driver's side I would probably not be with you now. That accident caused my parents a lot of agony. Could you imagine the agony they would have gone through if I had been killed?

Simply put, I have absolutely 0 sympathy for people who run red lights. If cameras catch them in the act, serves them right. Maybe it will make them more careful and save countless lives.

That is exactly why I put my comment up above. I'm glad nothing worse happened to you. The aftermath sucks.

I just noticed your post. Please accept my condolences for your loss. My heart goes out to you.

[Dalefan]

Sandusky is in trouble money wise. They tried more then once to put new taxes on Cedar Point. The red light cameras are a way for Sandusky to make money.