Guess what...

[stevie_d_64]

I think I got zapped by a robotic revenue generating traffic control device this morning...

I was IN the intersection on a yellow light, and I guess when it turned red the automatic revenue generating program took a nice picture of the clean rear-end side of my truck...

There was someone behind me as well, so I am not so sure it didn't take the opportunity to get us both, if somehow I might have been in the wrong...

I guess we'll see if I get a letter in the mail telling me I need to fork over $75 just because a robot says so...

Not like this happens everyday...I kinda miss the whole personable interaction with law enforcement professionals...

[anygunanywhere]

I feel your pain, mah brutha.

I was tagged last year. I could have swore it was yellow but for an interesting reason the light was red as could be when the ticket arrived.

Anygun

[Mike1951]

If someone came through behind you, there's a good chance your plate was concealed.

Here's hopin'.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Supposedly, there is a video that they check to see if you entered the intersection on the yellow light. If so, t hey don't send the ticket. (Yeah, right.)

Chas.

[jbirds1210]

Some of the new GPS systems let you flag the intersections with a red light camera and offer a verbal warning several hundred feet before you reach it.

I guess Stevie will have no problem remembering that location of that one!

[stevie_d_64]

Yep, I may be "got" anyway you look at it...

I'm all for supporting efforts to improve public safety through my wallet...

BTW, this was the intersection at Telephone Rd. and Beltway 8 (westbound feeder)...

[KC5AV]

Supposedly, there is a video that they check to see if you entered the intersection on the yellow light. If so, t hey don't send the ticket. (Yeah, right.)

Chas.

A friend of mine is a dispatcher for the local PD. He says that they send you a link where you can watch the video online if you get tagged.

-John

[stevie_d_64]

Supposedly, there is a video that they check to see if you entered the intersection on the yellow light. If so, t hey don't send the ticket. (Yeah, right.)

Chas.

A friend of mine is a dispatcher for the local PD. He says that they send you a link where you can watch the video online if you get tagged.

-John

If I can just figure out a way to photoshop (err, enhance) the guy driving that truck...He had this big red wig on, with a funny round nose and big floppy shoes...

[Charles L. Cotton]

[rant]Red-light cameras are a scam designed solely to produce revenue. The Mayor and the HPD Lt. in charge of the program are blatant liars when they say otherwise. When the issue was being debated by Council Members, KHOU Ch. 11 TV did a few news spots on the subject. One included a meeting with the female Lt. (I can't recall her name) during which he called her attention to a Texas A&M study that proved the same or better results could be achieved by making the yellow light 2 seconds longer -- 2 seconds!! She was clearly shocked by the study, had never heard of it, much less studied it. Her response -- "Well, we're using the cameras; it's all about safety." That's a lie; it's all about money.

If cameras truly are purely for safety rather than money, then the Legislature should change the law on red-light cameras and send all of the money from fines to the State to be used purely for education. Since extending the yellow light by 2 seconds wouldn't generate any money, but would achieve at least as good of an increase in safety, then surely the city wouldn't mind helping educate our children, if they chose not to use that method. After all, it's about safety, not money, right? Yeah, sure it is!!

People sometimes ask why I would commute 50 miles round-trip to downtown Houston from Friendswood, just to keep from living in Houston. My response, "you just answered your own question."
[/rant]

Chas.

[Kyle(Houston)]

[rant]Red-light cameras are a scam designed solely to produce revenue. The Mayor and the HPD Lt. in charge of the program are blatant liars when they say otherwise. When the issue was being debated by Council Members, KHOU Ch. 11 TV did a few news spots on the subject. One included a meeting with the female Lt. (I can't recall her name) during which he called her attention to a Texas A&M study that proved the same or better results could be achieved by making the yellow light 2 seconds longer -- 2 seconds!! She was clearly shocked by the study, had never heard of it, much less studied it. Her response -- "Well, we're using the cameras; it's all about safety." That's a lie; it's all about money.

If cameras truly are purely for safety rather than money, then the Legislature should change the law on red-light cameras and send all of the money from fines to the State to be used purely for education. Since extending the yellow light by 2 seconds wouldn't generate any money, but would achieve at least as good of an increase in safety, then surely the city wouldn't mind helping educate our children, if they chose not to use that method. After all, it's about safety, not money, right? Yeah, sure it is!!

People sometimes ask why I would commute 50 miles round-trip to downtown Houston from Friendswood, just to keep from living in Houston. My response, "you just answered your own question."
[/rant]

Chas.

+100

[CHL/LEO]

Supposedly, there is a video that they check to see if you entered the intersection on the yellow light.

In Dallas, when you receive your notice in the mail, you also get a link to your video.

Charles - in reference to your rant: there are plenty of officers in Dallas that agree with you on this one. The media up this way has been showing lots of reports where they've found that the city has "decreased" the length of the yellow light from what it was prior to the cameras being installed. They said that it's still within guidelines but the reporters have found several instances where they are short cycling. The various city reps say that's too bad but they are keeping them this way.

Red Light Cameras almost got banned during the last legislation session so that might be the only way to stop them.

Oh yeah, Speeding Cameras are just around the corner. You think that Red Light Cameras cause controversy, just wait until speeding cameras start going up all around the state. The media ran a story about a town in North Texas that put one up and the residents were going crazy about it. It's portable so it gets moved all the time.

[KBCraig]

Oh yeah, Speeding Cameras are just around the corner. You think that Red Light Cameras cause controversy, just wait until speeding cameras start going up all around the state. The media ran a story about a town in North Texas that put one up and the residents were going crazy about it. It's portable so it gets moved all the time.

It's probably going to get moved to the bottom of a lake one of these days.

http://thenewspaper.com/news/21/2168.asp

http://thenewspaper.com/news/21/2163.asp

[Charles L. Cotton]

. . . Oh yeah, Speeding Cameras are just around the corner.

You're right; this is going to cause quite a stir, even in Austin. I recall years ago being told by a lawyer that specialized in traffic tickets in Houston (and me makes a ton of money too) telling me that state law mandates speed limits to be set by measuring the average speed of traffic, then applying a certain percentage. As I recall, he even gave me the section of the Code, but that was at least 15 years ago. Does anyone know if this is still true and, if so, where is it in the Transportation Code? If this is still the law, I'm going to be busy sending out Open Records Requests for the required studies.

Chas.

[Xander]

Personally...I don't mind red light cameras. Steve, if Houston's set up is anything like Plano's, as some of the other posters have mentioned, you'll have a video that you can review (assuming they even bother to try and ticket you in the first place) that will allow you to prove that you were already in the intersection before the light turned red.

I recently read an article about how effective they've been in Plano (and I don't think the yellow lights need to be lengthened in Plano at all.) http://www.planostar.com/articles/2007/ ... 01news.txt

[Keith B]

. . . Oh yeah, Speeding Cameras are just around the corner.

You're right; this is going to cause quite a stir, even in Austin. I recall years ago being told by a lawyer that specialized in traffic tickets in Houston (and me makes a ton of money too) telling me that state law mandates speed limits to be set by measuring the average speed of traffic, then applying a certain percentage. As I recall, he even gave me the section of the Code, but that was at least 15 years ago. Does anyone know if this is still true and, if so, where is it in the Transportation Code? If this is still the law, I'm going to be busy sending out Open Records Requests for the required studies.

Chas.

It is called the 85th percentile rule. The DoT uses that to 'supposedly' set the speed limit. Here is a link describing it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limi ... ntile_rule and the link to the TAC http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/rea ... h=25&rl=23