How Police and Traffic Light Companies Are Conspiring to Give You More Tickets
http://www.alternet.org/rights/155751/how_police_and_traffic_light_companies_are_conspiring_to_give_you_more_tickets/
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Many areas of the country are experiencing a sudden rise in the number of speed and traffic cameras installed near roads. While some cameras have been a welcome development in curbing dangerous driving, many motorists have complained about what they perceive as an effort by authorities to simply extract revenue without community input on such policies. Growing evidence that many privatized traffic companies use faulty information, including right-hand turns, to assign red light tickets has only added to the anger. As legislators confront the backlash, a self-interested partnership has formed to lobby against accountability methods for these cameras: police unions and for-profit red-light camera companies.
In state after state, police unions and for-profit traffic camera companies have teamed up to defeat laws proposed to ensure that traffic policies are designed for public safety rather than to collect revenue. In Connecticut, police unions and traffic light companies opposed efforts to simply expand the length of yellow lights — despite studies showing that doing so would reduce red light violations by 90 percent — in favor of increased for-profit red light cameras. In Florida last year, American Traffic Solutions, one of the largest for-profit camera corporations, hired 17 lobbyists to defeat a similar bill. The company circulated a letter signed by police chiefs, and worked closely with officials from the Florida Sheriff’s Association, a labor group, to pressure legislators. In California, a bill by State Sen. Joseph Simitian (D-Palo Alto) to ensure that traffic cameras can only be set up to promote public safety rather than collect revenue was opposed by the California Police Chiefs, a law enforcement labor union group.
The media is beginning to take note of the collusion between police unions and for-profit camera companies. In Texas, a high ranking police union official was reportedly paid simultaneously by American Traffic Solutions to lobby against legislation to limit the use of these cameras, according to an investigation by a local ABC News affiliate. Across the country, for-profit traffic light companies have hid behind a front group they set up called the “National Coalition for Safer Roads” to defeat efforts to ensure traffic lights are only set up for public safety reasons. Police union representatives have appeared with the group.
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Another savvy PR move by police unions.
More cameras and less time to clear an intersection between yellow and red. So little time to "beat the light" that you might as well hit the brakes when you see yellow. The lights have been re-calibrated to turn red within 5 seconds.
...that the average driver wastes about 1 quart of gas per day at unnecessary stop lights, and considering there are a hundred million cars on the road at any time, this amounts to about 25,000,000 gallons of gas per day, or 5,000,000 barrels of refined oil, which is wasted. 
edited my arithmetic
But I didn't know what it was.
They do that around here, too, with the speed bumps. Very freaking annoying. I use my GPS to go around those streets. I have even seen drivers going down them verrrry slow while they talk on the phone or read a book.
Cher
p.s. agree with your posts upthread. You said what I wanted to say.
Sometimes. 
...sometimes scared to slam on you brakes ESPECIALLY if theres a tractor Trailer or large truck behind you.
A policeman would probably give you a break on such actions. A traffic light camera says "Fuck you. Tough Shit."
I didn't know the police unions were colluding with the red light camera companies to get more of these setups at intersections. One would think the officers would oppose it, yes? More tickets for them to deliver manually?
The subject of red light cameras was a topic I offered my public speaking and writing/research students during this last semester. I had approximately three students do their speeches or research papers on it. From their research I learned there is research that shows accidents increase at intersections with red light cameras.
Also that many places have gotten rid of them for just that reason.
I offered this as a topic because the county or town put a red light camera at a major intersection near my university. I saw many students were getting tickets from it, and the tickets are not inexpensive--$80 for a right on red at this intersection.
Despite being aware of it, I almost got caught in it, due to the short yellow. I stopped outside the white line in the crosswalk and I saw the light of the camera go off. I stopped. Later I asked a student who had several of these tickets if she thought I would get the ticket and she said no because the camera takes three shots as the driver goes through the intersection. She said I would know in about a month as that is how long it takes to get the ticket out.
Want to know where these cameras are in your state? There's a web site that will produce a map of them in your area.
NJ residents opposed to these cameras should sign a petition. A legislator has come out against them.
Cher
