Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D) is expected to sign into law recently passed legislation authorizing a massive expansion in the use of speed cameras throughout the state. The measure is the culmination of a coordinated effort by photo enforcement companies, their lobbying firms and the insurance industry to sway the opinions of key legislators. TheNewspaper reviewed state records over the past ten years and found that parties with a direct financial interest in automated ticketing showered members of the Maryland General Assembly and the governor with $707,725 in gifts and campaign cash.
The Tennessee state Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday voted 9-0 to authorize the use of speed cameras in so-called “work zones” on interstate highways. The vote was unusual in that state Senator Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville) presented his legislation as if it would prohibit the use of speed cameras, even though the actual legislative text has the opposite effect. “The amendment basically just says surveillance cameras shall not be permitted on federal interstate highways,” Burchett explained to the committee. “Except for department of transportation designated work zones.”
On February 3, the KTVT-TV evening news covered the fight brewing in Duncanville, Texas over the use of red light cameras. Reporter Stephanie Lucero attempted to balance her piece about drivers trapped at the notorious intersection of Danieldale Road and US 67 by speaking first with a local businessman who claimed personal experience about how the traffic cameras installed there made the city safer. “There has been a noticeable difference in the safety of this intersection since they put them in, so I, for one, like them,” Steve Madison told KTVT.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the firm owned by the head of the Presidential Task Force On Automobiles (PTFOA) is under investigation for accepting $1.1m in illegal kickbacks. “A Securities and Exchange Commission complaint says a ‘senior executive’ of Mr. Rattner’s investment firm met in 2004 with a politically connected consultant about a finder’s fee. Later, the complaint says, the firm received an investment from the state pension fund and paid $1.1 million in fees. The ‘senior executive,’ not named in the complaint, is Mr. Rattner, according to the person familiar with the matter.” Yes, well, this the same Wall Street Journal that repeated quoted a “person familiar with the matter” that a pre-bailout GM – Chrysler merger was on the cards. OK, so are you ready for this? Sure? “The SEC alleges in its complaint that a meeting was arranged between the senior Quadrangle executive and a brother of New York’s then-deputy comptroller to discuss acquiring the DVD distribution rights to the low-budget film, ‘Chooch.’ [22 views when I posted it] The deputy comptroller, now under indictment, and his brothers produced the movie.” How much do you reckon they paid for it?
The left-leaning US Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) has issued a report entitled “Private Roads, Public Costs” that questions the benefits of using private tolls to construct or maintain roads. The report examined all fifteen completed road privatization projects in the US along with 79 known proposals nationwide. “Though these privatization deals seem to offer state officials a ‘quick fix,’ they often pose long-term threats to the public interest,” the report found. “The economics of these deals are such that the upfront concession payments are unlikely to match the long-term value of the higher tolls that will be paid by future generations and not collected for public uses.”
Yellow times may shorten as the city of Billings, Montana, rushes to install red light cameras before the state legislature has a chance to ban them. The Billings City Council voted 8–3 Monday to empower Redflex Traffic Systems, a private company based in Melbourne, Australia, to issue automated traffic citations in return for a cut of the revenue collected. Billings needs to act quickly because the state legislature last Thursday entered into final negotiations on legislation that would ban red light cameras.
South African entrepreneur Alan Lubinsky bought the rights to the Cobra name and intellectual properties in 1996. Since then he’s been scamming customers, governments, investors and the media by pretending that the “legendary” Cobra would arise from the ashes to . . . what’s the word for it these days? Viability. In 2006, TTAC (and The New York Times) poured cold water all over Lubinsky’s plans to build Cobras in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The project received tax breaks aplenty and an endorsement from the Governor (no less). This is after Lubinsky left a trail of bad debts and unfulfilled orders in the UK. And before he started taking orders (i.e., cash) for the rights to be a US dealer. After that never happened, Lubinsky tied-up with Texas’ Unique Performance to build a new Cobra. Unique soon fell to pieces amidst accusations of criminal fraud. Now Lubinsky is announcing the new, new, new Cobra. And once again. the automotive press—from Autocar to Autoblog— remain blissfully unaware (or unconcerned) about the scammery involved. So, here’s the most recent press release pitch for a gull-wing Cobra (why not?), chronicled and reprinted in its entirety by AB.
The mayor of Duncanville, Texas had a member of the city council arrested last Tuesday for speaking out against the use of red light cameras during an official meeting. The incident took place during the discussion of whether the city should spend $59,000 to make street repairs. Mayor David Green recognized Councilman Paul Ford to speak on the contract item. “Thank you,” Ford said. “I want to let you know that earlier this evening during briefing, Mayor Green threatened me that if he told me to stop talking and I didn’t, he’d have me arrested, and I want to let you know what I told Mayor Green.” Green became outraged and shouted, “Mr Ford, you are out of order. You are not recognized Mr Ford. You need to cease right now.” While Green yelled, Ford continued his brief statement without stopping. . .
The Maryland General Assembly yesterday gave final approval to a measure that will expand the use of speed cameras to every part of the state, allowing cameras on high-volume freeways for the first time. Lawmakers in Annapolis, at the urging of Governor Martin O’Malley (D), saw the measure as an essential means of reining in the state’s run-away budget deficit. Traffic camera vendors also helped promote the effort with lavish gifts, parties and campaign donations. The new legislation specifically authorizes the use of speed cameras anywhere in the state up to one-half a mile away from a school zone. School zone cameras can operate as late as 8pm and ticket motorists regardless of whether school is in session.
A review of preliminary collision data supplied by the city of Corpus Christi, Texas shows that the installation of red light cameras has done nothing to improve safety. Overall, the accident situation worsened at photo-enforced intersections at a time when decreased traffic levels have brought accident rates nationwide to an all-time low. The total number of accidents in Corpus Christi increased 14 percent, from 310 incidents to 353, at nine locations where automated ticketing machines were stationed. Contrary to the claim that red light cameras reduce the severity of collisions, the number of accidents involving injuries increased 28 percent from 140 to 179. Rear end collisions also increased by nearly a third from 160 to 208.
As budget deficits continue to soar at all levels of New York government, the state legislature on Tuesday approved a package of bills to provide relief through the use of red light cameras. The package of six bills extends new authority to use red light cameras to Buffalo, Nassau County, Rochester, Suffolk County and Yonkers. The legislature also gave the nod to New York City’s long-held desire to increase by half the number of automated ticketing machines already installed.
Another Georgia red light camera program has fallen thanks to a state-mandated extension in the duration of the yellow warning period at monitored intersections. Members of the Dalton City Council yesterday voted unanimously to cancel its contract with the UK-owned photo ticketing firm LaserCraft Inc. which has been operating the traffic cameras on a month-to-month basis since May. “Thus far it appears the increase in yellow time has resulted in a significant decrease in violations,” Dalton Police Chief Jason Parker told the city council yesterday.
The city of Winnipeg, Canada, has shortened the duration of the yellow warning at intersections equipped with red light cameras. The length of the yellow is the single most important factor in determining the financial success of a photo enforcement program, according to documents obtained from a red light camera vendor in 2001. The city’s signal changes came to light after a 64-year-old grandmother named Judy received a ticket in the mail claiming her minivan had run a red light on August 31, 2008. She contacted Larry Stefanuik, a former police constable who now helps motorists fight traffic tickets who began looking into the ticket. Judy’s ticket shows the intersection had been set with a 3.9 second yellow and that she entered the intersection—slowly—just 0.1 seconds after the light turned red.
Now we have the economic literature to confirm what we all know is happening: local governments using traffic citations to make up for revenue shortfalls. According to a paper in the February Journal of Law and Economics, published by the University of Chicago, “as the economy tanks, motorists may be more likely to see red and blue in the rearview.” Study authors Thomas Garrett, assistant vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and Gary Wagner from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, examined fourteen years of revenue and traffic citation data from counties in North Carolina. Revenues drop, traffic citations go up. Specifically, “a one percentage point decrease in last year’s local government revenue results in roughly a 0.32 percentage point increase in the number of traffic tickets the following year.”
The Montana state Senate yesterday gave preliminary approval to House Bill 351: legislation that would ban the installation of red light cameras. The Senate voted 37 – 13 in support of the bill, which faces one more vote before the modified legislation heads back to the state House for consent. The state House originally approved a total ban on red light cameras by a 65-35 margin (view bill). State Senator John Brueggeman (R-Polson) changed the House text to water down the bill with a special exemption for Bozeman, Darby and any other city that inks a contract with a private contractor to run a ticketing program in return for a cut of the profit before the legislation becomes law.
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