Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

No

But I'd rather not get into an accident because of them. Nor do I want to get a ticket in the mail for making a legal right-hand turn on red like what's occurring in Chillicothe.

Looking out for Violet Twp again

On occasion I have seen drivers accelerate through an intersection to actually run a red light. However there are many more times when as drivers we find ourselves caught in the intersection and the light turns red. Yes; technically that is running the light. These cameras will not be considering any discretion when taking your picture. Clearly right turn on reds are legal and apparently Chillicothe, Ohio was having problems with drivers getting tickets for that. Normally when making a left turn you will get a left turn arrow and that arrow is triggered by a wire embedded in the road way. Many times those detectors fail and the only way to make a left turn is to move into the intersection and turn as/or when the light turns red. You will get a ticket of $120 for a failure of the traffic signal. Either that or you back up traffic for miles. How does that help the police and traffic flow.

Something else we all must consider. There have been times when I have been driving up 256/Hill Road and the light turns yellow and there is no way I can stop before the stop bar. Going through the intersection is the only safe option. I believe most of the yellow timings on our traffic signals are timed more for 35 MPH rather than the posted 50 MPH. Locking up your brakes or coming to a quick stop is not always the safest decision to make. To extend the timing of the yellow lights will have a big impact on the traffic flow and slow the traffic in the morning to a grid lock condition.

Each time a local driver, who is aware of the cameras, approaches one of these intersections they will be more concerned with the cameras and trying to avoid the $120 ticket than safely going through the intersection. If the City extends the yellow timing it will back up traffic and with only one interstate entrance ramp that certainly will extend our morning commute. Remember Reynoldsburg, Violet and Columbus resident are not subject to these cameras. They will still pose the same so called tee bone accident possibility because the city is only installing the cameras in the north south direction.

This is a Pickerington City Council looking out for residents in other jurisdictions. Remember three of these votes came from people who ran on the platform of cooperation with Violet Township and are any of you now seeing what they were talking about? These outside residents have more important jobs to get to than the Pickerington residents. Not only do they want to give them our income tax money but they want to take from their own residents with cameras in the Sky. Is tar and feather in order?

Full Stop

Sounds like the people making a right on red are not coming to a full stop, before making the turn.......... I'm not saying I'm for them.......

By Gary

Chillicothe throwing out tickets

Gary, this is in response to your posting, just didn't want it to get lost in the threads. Check out the appeal process in Chillicothe which is below. You can appeal the ticket for $95 - if you lose - you're out the cost of the ticket plus the appeal cost! Double your fun!

Please read these links and then think about it for Pickerington. Suppose our city council passes this and then the citizens get mad and runs an issue like what they're working on in Chillicothe to FORCE city council to break the contract with Redflex. How much would that cost us to break the contract?

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Mayor Joe Sulzer has asked the Chillicothe Police Department to throw out most right-turn-on-red violations flagged by the red light cameras installed by the city last month. Safety Services Committee Chair Dustin Proehl, D-At Large, said the cameras are unfairly citing those making right-hand turns. ''It did not work the way we thought it would work,'' Proehl said.

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20081120/NEWS01/811200304

Other concerns were the $95 fine and $95 appeals fee. Because the fines already have come due before any appeals hearing has been set, Mayor Joe Sulzer said people have to pay the fine and the appeals fee to have a hearing, $190 up front. If their appeal is upheld, they get all their money back; if it is unfounded, they lose the $190. Sulzer said he would have to speak with the law director and Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. before he would be able to change those costs.

''We have a contract with Redflex, so we have to talk with them,'' he said. The contract requires the city to establish an appeals process but does not specify whether a fee should be charged. So far, three attorneys have been hired, and hearings will begin when Sulzer gets approval to use the Municipal Court building in the evenings.

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20081122/NEWS01/811220304

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/99999999/NEWS01/81121013&theme=redlight&template=theme

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20081228/NEWS01/812280314