Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Not me

Ok I know I'm short and unfortunately a little more round than I'd like to be so I'm assuming you're referring to me in your last posting.

Sorry dude (or dudette). I swore I'd only post here using my name and I continue to live by that committment. That posting wasn't mine.

My 2 cents

While I respect Brian and his opinion, I happen to think these cameras are a very good idea.

Thanks for the links to support your position, Brian.

Has any potential figures been offered by the vendor in regards to revenue generated by such cameras? In addition, can they point to a significant decrease in red light violations once the cameras are in place?

Good Questions Tory

Tory those are good questions. The statistics cited by the company presenting showed a significant decrease in accidents both ''angled'' and ''assured clear distance.'' They also cited a study produced by a professor at Iowa State that showed significant decreases in accident rates against ''control'' intersections. In other words, accident rates significantly decreased in intersections where the cameras were in place as opposed to similar intersections where there were no cameras.

We do not know the financial structure of the program yet which is why I advocated moving forward with a letter of intent. Only then will we get a contract proposal from which to make projections.

Thanks for the questions.

Privacy

First of all I don?’t believe anyone has a ?“Right?” to run a red-light or break the law. But, to me this is not just an issue about safety but privacy as well and is partially what I?’m struggling to come to terms about. I?’m hugely supportive of our officers and the police Chief so I find myself in a quandary on many fronts.

How much are we willing to accept as a society to be monitored and policed by technology and by someone in a different state or even possibly in a different Country? Redflex?’s call-center is somewhere here in the US.

How would you feel if Redflex outsourced their call center to India because it was cost-effective and now you?’re dealing with someone in Mumbai to talk to about your kid?’s ticket? Or the ticket you received when you lent your pickup to your neighbor who was going a little fast through the intersection? Now a significant portion of your ticket is going to a company that is helping support jobs being sent overseas to monitor you! Are they doing it now? NO. Could they ?– IN A HEARTBEAT without flinching!

Since we?’re on 100 video cameras a day to/from work, at work, and our email and websites are monitored by our employers do we just accept oversight and continue to let it invade our lives?

If you say you break the law you should be punished then I ask you to turn over your GPS device to the police department to monitor if you were speeding through the neighborhoods, down 256 or along I-70.

Sure ?“this is just a red-light camera?”. Now read this article.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/20/MNGA4CBJH81.DTL

Should we go there next?

GPS?’s for everyone so we can make sure we tax you at the highest possible rate! I can guarantee you there?’s a lot more information in those GPS?’s than how many miles you?’ve driven.

Where do you draw the line or don?’t you?

If we?’re trying to tackle this from a safety perspective ?– what is ?“Safety?”? Is Safety less accidents caused by running red-lights? Is Safety, less T-Bone accidents even if rear-end crashes increase? Is Safety really Enforcement? If you?’re looking at this from an Enforcement perspective then there is no better choice then installing Red-Light cameras - 24x7x365.

It?’s obvious I have reservations about these cameras. But I also see the benefits. If there?’s a bank robbery the criminals probably aren?’t going to obey red-lights on their way to I-70. If there?’s an accident at an intersection, who?’s at fault is much easier to figure out. Will these stop accidents ?– no, will they help prevent ?– some yes ?– others maybe not. Will these help with enforcement ?– without a doubt.

I don?’t view the world through rose-colored glasses nor do I see things in black and white. Maybe I?’m making too much of this but I can?’t get 1984 out of my head every time I read about little chips here and there being taken away from our private lives. Or am I completely na?¯ve and privacy doesn?’t even exist any longer?

I am honestly interested in your opinions because I haven?’t come to any conclusion about this topic. Please email me, call me or as a last resort post something out here. It?’s just impossible to determine if Anymouse, Central Dad, Violet Mom, Anonymous are more than 1 person or not.

Thank you.

?“There is nothing new in the realization that the Constitution sometimes insulates the criminality of a few in order to protect the privacy of us all.?”

Antonin Scalia US Supreme Court


By Brian Wisniewski