Photo Radar coming to an interstate near you

[datainmotion]

https://www.gssa.state.co.us/BdSols.nsf/OByCats/099e8a95a0df7afa87257690004f83ff?OpenDocument

Super.

 

[jimmnn]

I would be happy to see it deployed in construction zones if it can increase the safety for the workers.

Newly introduced legislation in Colorado, known as the "Charles Mather Highway Safety Act" or, House Bill 08-1036 compels the Colorado Department of Public Safety; Colorado State Patrol in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation to utilize automated speed enforcement through the application of an Automated Vehicle Identification System (AVIS), which is also referred to as photo radar. The use of this system will help appropriately address speed and work zone challenges. The camera technology provides a way to enforce the speed limit through those zones without further endangering our officers, highway workers, or the drivers themselves. Motorists often become nervous or confused when traveling through a construction zone. When confusion combines with speeds too great for the circumstances, tragedy often results.

Currently, the criteria and standards needed to determine which work zones will qualify for photo speed enforcement are being prepared. Operational policies and procedures will also be developed to determine when and where enforcement deployments will occur and will address other photo enforcement needs such as; positive protection measures for the photo enforcement personnel and related equipment in work zones.

Jim<

 

[Troop]

that's the only places it will be deployed

 

[n0doz]

Good grief, I was down in AZ not too long ago... photo radar is all over the place! They apparently have a contractor that handles it for the state. They use fixed units and vehicles marked like Highway Patrol units. Just crossing Phoenix, I must've seen 15-20 of them on the interstates.

 

[kib669]

I really struggle to see this as anything more than a revenue stream for the state. The government tries to say that this is for the safety of the workers because there are so many accidents on the job sites. But as usual, they are twisting some of the statisitcs for their benefit. The majority of the deaths in these work zones are not the works and the majority of the injuries to the workers is related to their jobs. Not to say that I do not care about safety and deaths from these accidents, but are they really doing something that will reduce the accidents or just taking more of our money. Here are a couple of articles on this same subject.

Construction Zone Tickets: What They Don&#8217;t Want You To Know


The own Washington State Department of Transportation says:
&#8220;Pedestrians, flaggers and roadway workers account for only one percent of these injuries or fatalities,&#8221; the WSDOT website admits. &#8220;Most deaths and injuries in work zones are caused by rear-end collisions.&#8221;

WA Deploys Work Zone Cams On False Pretext | The Truth About Cars

Safety or $$....you decide.

 

[jeffreyinberthoud]

I really struggle to see this as anything more than a revenue stream for the state. The government tries to say that this is for the safety of the workers because there are so many accidents on the job sites. But as usual, they are twisting some of the statisitcs for their benefit. The majority of the deaths in these work zones are not the works and the majority of the injuries to the workers is related to their jobs. Not to say that I do not care about safety and deaths from these accidents, but are they really doing something that will reduce the accidents or just taking more of our money. Here are a couple of articles on this same subject.

POLITICS RUN SEVERAL WAYS
I found this qoute on line as well .......................
"Four of every five victims in a work-zone crash are motorists, not highway workers as is commonly believed. "

 

[Troop]

workers or motorists...it's not going to make a difference..it's going to slow people down.....unless your in the thick of it covering crashes or working a construction zone..you'd never understand the frustration that comes along with it...it has nothing to do with revenue...and tickets issued by the state patrol have never been about revenue

 

[firescannerbob]

I know from my personal experiences dealing with emergency situations on the roads that people mostly drive like morons...they speed, they don't pay attention, and they'll routinely ignore directions given by police/fire/EMS people who are trying to control traffic. It can't be any better for construction workers.
I am not a fan of photo radar/photo red light cams, but I think this limited use is reasonable.

 

[SCPD]

23 years ago when I was stationed in Germany they had photo radar. You learned to lose your lead foot in cities and towns, but you could drive as fast as you wanted on the autobahn.

 

[nathancarlson]

As much as I don't like the "red light cameras" in boulder that get people during the yellow caution lights (even my friend who is a cop has had three tickets in a patrol car and has had to pay them, and I've gotten a few), this may be a good idea if its in construction zones, but I think only when people are actively working or it is an unsafe area for higher speeds. Highway 66 has been under construction for a VERY long time and near I-25 there have been fatal accidents. I drive through there twice a week in my work truck. Its road rage central and people are always passing the cars illegally that are going FASTER than the work zone speed limit without regard of the "fines doubled" signs. But some "construction areas" like Prospect road just west of I-25 earlier this year, it always had signs it was a construction area but people were never working, so it was pretty hard to drive 35 through that stretch.

I have a progam on my GPS unit that alerts me to speed cameras and red light cameras just to "remind me" but I still try to follow the speed limit, epseically in construction areas. But I hope it does not turn into something that is abused like the red light cameras in Boulder. Those are just stupid and nothing more than a way to generate money. I would much rather see more troopers doing more over time in construction areas, or doing something like the photo radar vans that Boulder Police has, rather than a fixed unit that would be snapping pictures of every motorist. Officers and Troopers use thier discression when writing tickets, and thats not something that would be done with a photo unit obviously, unless they had a complex program for it.

They do need to find ways to slow down people in active construction zones, though.

 

[kib669]

workers or motorists...it's not going to make a difference..it's going to slow people down.....unless your in the thick of it covering crashes or working a construction zone..you'd never understand the frustration that comes along with it...it has nothing to do with revenue...and tickets issued by the state patrol have never been about revenue

I have been out there and worked these incidents in previous jobs. People have what I call the "Me Syndrome" and do not pay attention to much of anything anymore. These are the same people that will not pay any attention to the speed cameras. There has been a significant increase in enforcement for construction zones over the past few years and the death statistics continue to increase. These statistics show that just writing more tickets does not solve the problem. Maybe there needs to be a different penalty system where you could loose your license for a week to a month for these offences. If you inconvenience someone like this, they will pay more attention in the future.

The CSP may not be writing tickets for revenue, but I know from first had discussions with officers from departments across the country and they have been told to write more tickets as the cities/counties/states have been loosing revenue.

 

[Kevin_N]

Is this because Boulder doesn't have them calibrated right? I thought the idea was to trigger the camera if you enter the intersection after the light is red, not yellow.

As much as I don't like the "red light cameras" in boulder that get people during the yellow caution lights (even my friend who is a cop has had three tickets in a patrol car and has had to pay them, and I've gotten a fe.

 

[kib669]

As much as I don't like the "red light cameras" in boulder that get people during the yellow caution lights (even my friend who is a cop has had three tickets in a patrol car and has had to pay them, and I've gotten a few), ]

And Boulder has reduced the "yellow" time on the lights that have cameras. You cannot tell me that this is there to just improve traffic safety.

 

[scanlist]

For Boulder it's obvious. Plus the daily photo-radar van marathons.

Despite the revenue aspect for the state I am fed up with attitudes displayed by drivers in the reduced speed construction zones. Hit the asshats in the wallet.

 

[datainmotion]

Why not ask residents of AZ how they feel about them?

 

[scanlist]

In Europe displeased citizens have a tendency of destroying them.

 

[firescannerbob]

Why not ask residents of AZ how they feel about them?

Well, earlier this year a disgruntled driver shot at a photo speed radar in AZ and killed the civilian contract worker operating it...

 

[gldavis]

I'm still having trouble understanding how my, MAYBE, getting a ticket in the mail, possibly, tomorrow, will slow down my speeding two months ago.
Putting a Marked Cruiser with lights on will slow down more drivers than maybe having a camera there that might get someone sometime.

When I was in Virginia they put up a Red Light Camera in Fairfax. Two problems. 1-they had to shorten the timing of the yellow light to get the revenue that was promised. 2- The photo did not show the driver, so all you had to do when you got the ticket was sign a stament that you were not driving at the time, and the ticket was thrown out.