Links: Red-light cameras and rental cars, plus other news
Posted on May 7th, 2008 – 2:17 PMBy Roadguy
- Lakeville joins TransitWorld: You’ll be able to take the bus starting in September 2009; Strib story here.
- Duluth sings the Gusset Plate Blues: The Blatnik Bridge to Superior is getting some work done; Strib story here.
- Two New York Times stories that talk about red-light cameras: This one looks at the fine print of car-rental contracts, which allow companies to plead guilty to your traffic violations and bill you; this one takes a more general look at the cameras and also mentions technology that can tell you about speed traps.
- Another groundbreaking for the Northstar line: Big Lake takes its turn here.
- Free parking for carpoolers: On Wednesdays, at least; a news brief on the ABC Ramps is here.
3 Responses to "Links: Red-light cameras and rental cars, plus other news"
Interesting option, treating red light camera tickets as parking tickets so the driver only pays a fine. I’m not sure it’s the best method because after all, red light running can cause crashes where parking violations can’t. Of course it bears repeating that I strongly dislike the idea of viewing red light tickets as a revenue source. Not only does it lead to things like shortening the yellow lights to “catch” more drivers, but it guarantees that you won’t have any support for photo cops among the driving population.
Use the photo cops in conjunction with adjusting the timing on yellows, redesigning intersections, and driver education, and the only goal should be public safety.
A fine is fine, and hitting offenders in the wallet is very ‘educational.’
Yeah, but parking tickets don’t go on driver’s records like traffic tickets do. One is “You should not park here, keep it up and you’ll owe us more money.” and one is “You could have killed someone, keep it up and you’ll be in trouble.” Personally I’m fine with the change if it gets results, but some in law enforcment may not like it because the tickets don’t have an impact on the person’s ability to drive.
