A friend of mine received a camera generated citation that also listed his speed. It is just a matter of time before they ding us for that too!

Brown vetoed Simitian's SB 29 - good! It claimed to be red light camera reform, but actually would have made it worse for drivers. For example, it decreased the number of warning signs at camera enforced intersections, and gave the police much more time to mail the tickets - a year instead of the present 15-day limit. There was one good provision in the bill, but at the last minute it got amended out. The lost provision would have required cities to add a disclosure to the fake tickets they send out. (If the reference to fake tickets puzzles you, do a Google on Snitch Ticket.)

So, good riddance to SB 29.

But not all is good. Brown just signed Mike Gatto's AB 529, which will allow cities to reduce posted speed limits by 5 mph, even on streets with a great safety record. The reduced speed limits will allow cities to shorten yellows, which will increase red light cam ticketing by at least 50%. (Four of the sponsoring cities have red light cams.) Worse, the shortening will increase severe accidents by 30 to 40%. (Source: "Development of Guidelines for Treating Red-Light Running," Texas Transp. Inst. pg 2-20.) This bill would be a good topic for discussion tonight.

The lower speed limits also will make it easier for California cities to issue speeding tickets - groundwork for eventual legislation legalizing speed cameras (photo radar, like they have in Arizona).

Mr. Gatto is very proud of his legislation. It is only fitting that the new speed traps should be called Gatto Traps, with the new shorter yellows called Gatto Yellows.

Sam,

I've seen several Red Light tickets that show the speed of the vehicle.

Does anyone know who the vendor is for Menlo Park?

Another subtle change for SMC is that you are instructed to pay your bail before you ever go to court. It used to be you would show up tell your story and if guilty then pay.

I think it is:

Welcome to the Redflex Group
www.redflex.com/Redflex Traffic Systems is the longest consistently-operating company in the ...

We are safer with these cameras. Way too many drivers speed through the intersection when they should be slowing at the yellow. Pedestrians and bikers, both of whom we profess to want to increase, are incredibly vulnerable to speeding vehicles that seem to push limits beyond the edge of safety.

They may increase safety, they may not. Some studies have shown they actually INCREASE accidents where they are used. The problem with them though is that they violates ones right to confront and question ones accuser. If you contest the citation, the technician that issued it doesn't show up in court. Can't question them, violates teh sixth amendment.

People still speed.

The difference I've observed is that the Ravenswood@El Camino intersection regularly used to be gridlocked. Mostly from people turning left from Ravenswood onto El Camino who would clog the intersection and prevent anyone else from moving. That no longer happens.

Seems as though you could have accomplished this with regular monitoring of the intersection and without Redflex.

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