Longer yellow light could put brakes on Fremont's profits

[The Straight Story]

Longer yellow light could put brakes on Fremont's profits

FREMONT -- Seven-tenths of a second goes by in the blink of an eye, but it's enough time to dramatically reduce violations at Fremont's most ticketed red-light camera approach and potentially cut in half the city's red-light camera enforcement profit.

At the request of a red-light camera opponent, Caltrans last November studied vehicle speeds approaching the south Fremont intersection of Mission and Mohave boulevards, which is part of a state highway. Based on the evidence collected, Caltrans extended yellow-light times from the minimum-allowed 4.3 seconds to 5 seconds.

...
The sharp drop in tickets has helped reignite a long-running debate over whether the key to safer roads is red-light camera enforcement or slightly longer yellow lights.

...

Also, the city's camera system has not only paid for itself, it has been generating annual profits of more than $300,000 in recent years.

But the longer yellow light at Mission and Mohave could take a large bite out of that profit. During the last seven months, that intersection has dropped from the city's top ticket generator to fifth-highest.



http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_17658793

[WingDinger]

1. Ariel Sharon, Israeli Prime Minister

Ariel Sharon, Israeli Prime Minister
Q: Are you saying that we will always live by the sword? Sharon: A normal people does not ask questions like that.


George Savile, Lord Halifax
A man that should call everything by its right name would hardly pass the street without being knocked down as a common enemy.

[mopinko]

2. the ntsb should issue guidelines on this problem.

but the real question is how many accidents occur at that intersection.

[travelingtypist]

3. Speed traps have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with revenue.

Portland, Oregon has one at the entrance to Interstate 84 eastbound off of NE 60th. It's a freeway entrance on a residential street that has a speed limit of 25-mph. Then they set up a speeding radar camera to get pictures of people doing what they're supposed to do on a freeway entrance, accelerating to merge into traffic. I got one about six years or so I guess, went to court and got the ticket bumped down from 175 to 50 bucks. The other day I was the lead car on that ramp, the ramp signal wasn't on and there was the white van with their camera poised. Since I was lead, they didn't get the six cars behind me b/c I did 22-mph the whole way. I was like pppbbbttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Reminds me of a certain town in WV where I got a ticket ...

they have a regular production line going there.