Arizona's Speed Cameras Shut Down

[xc4me]

Just an interesting article where a group has convinced the governor to shut down Speed cameras run by Australian company Redflex

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Arizona Shuts Down Freeway Speed Cameras
Arizona freeway photo radar program meets an early end.

Arizona photo radar Tickets are no longer being mailed based on evidence created by freeway speed cameras in the state of Arizona. After a year-long campaign against the devices, activists from the group CameraFraud.com succeeded in convincing Governor Jan Brewer (R) to end the photo enforcement contract that her predecessor, Janet Napolitano (D) signed. As a result, the cameras were remotely shut down at 12:00am today.

In January 2008, Napolitano's budget predicted that 100 speed cameras would issue $165 million worth of tickets by 2010. Only 36 fixed and 42 mobile cameras were ultimately used, and the Australian company in charge of the program, Redflex Traffic Systems, mailed 1,105,935 tickets worth $200,727,202. Unfortunately for the state budget, two out of three recipients threw their citations in the trash on the advice of groups like CameraFraud and newspapers like the Phoenix New Times who correctly pointed out that unserved tickets were invalid. Only 432,367 citations were paid.

Photo enforcement advocates insist that taking down the cameras will result in a ten-fold increase in speeding and accidents. Opponents counter that the other side is making false claims to protect a highly profitable enterprise.

"The spokesman for Redflex is throwing out bogus figures in an attempt to fool the public into fearing other drivers on the road -- it's pure desperation," CameraFraud's Shawn Dow told TheNewspaper. "Arizona's photo radar program was a complete failure. Neither Janet [Napolitano] nor the cameras are welcome back in Arizona."

As an example of the false claims, Redflex and DPS both claimed that the freeway photo radar program was the first of its kind in the US, with the claim blindly repeated in publications such as the New York Times and Arizona Republic. In 2001, the state of Hawaii signed a contract with a different Arizona company to run freeway speed cameras. The "talivans" as they were popularly known sparked such a revolt that the legislature had no choice but to end the program prematurely. Illinois started its own modest freeway camera program more than a year before Arizona's program started.

The same backlash that hit Hawaii struck in Arizona, and Dow intends to bypass the state legislature and use the local initiative process to shut down the remaining municipal cameras on a city-by-city basis. His first target is Paradise Valley, which is not the oldest speed camera program -- speed cameras were operational in Texas in the 70s -- but rather the oldest program that is still operating. According to Dow's figures, a majority of the city's registered voters signed the statewide petition to end photo radar. The localized version of the initiative now includes a provision calling for the refund of all camera citations collected.

"Paradise Valley is going to pay the price for twenty-three years of scamming the citizens out of their money," Dow said.

Dow hopes to get several local initiatives on the November ballot, joining four confirmed ballot votes in cities as large as Houston, Texas. By November 2011, he predicted there would be no more speed or red light cameras in the state of Arizona. Photo enforcement has never survived a public vote.

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Source: http://thenewspaper.com/news/32/3202.asp

[barra265t]

I find it particularly embarrassing that its Australian companies that come up with all the world's gizmos to do with speed cameras, radar, radar detector detectors, laser, etc. Havnt we got better things to do with our ingenuity and time..

[JimNiki]

Originally Posted by barra265t

I find it particularly embarrassing that its Australian companies that come up with all the world's gizmos to do with speed cameras, radar, radar detector detectors, laser, etc. Havnt we got better things to do with our ingenuity and time..

We're very busy at the moment building hotel-motels for our visitors who come by boat!

[GS608]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

We're very busy at the moment building hotel-motels for our visitors who come by boat!

classic

shame we dont have those kind of groups here with that much power.

[Kryton]

They were only shutdown essentially because for a speeding ticket to be valid, it had to be served in person and not by mail.

That isnt the law here so there is still no chance that any camera will be shut down any time soon.

[mcnews]

When riding across America a couple of years ago our guide was incredulous when I told him about speed cameras, he said in America they would just get blown up. There are lots of things not to like America, but far out there are lots of things to like :-)

[csv8]

Australians don't have political activism to make change happen. We are quite apathetic Unless it really hurts. Get the Greenies to complain about sped cameras and change might happen!!

[chevypower]

Way to go Jan Brewer! You are awesome, I would vote for you if I lived in Arizona. Just move the cameras and point them at the fence attached with lasers for anyone who dares to cross! Hehehehe

[OzJavelin]

Originally Posted by csv8

Australians don't have political activism to make change happen.

Historically this was one of the things that maked Australia a great country; we didn't take politics nor religion seriously.

Unfortunately that may need to change in the future ..

[burnz]

Originally Posted by csv8

Australians don't have political activism to make change happen. We are quite apathetic Unless it really hurts. Get the Greenies to complain about sped cameras and change might happen!!

yep we have the stay safe commity, run by govco.

[opto]

So why cant they shut them down in Australia ????

[Bobman]

Originally Posted by barra265t

I find it particularly embarrassing that its Australian companies that come up with all the world's gizmos to do with speed cameras, radar, radar detector detectors, laser, etc. Havnt we got better things to do with our ingenuity and time..

So true. Like how about putting all this time, effort and money into fighting cancer or heaven forbid, fight actual genuine reasons for people dying on the roads.

I believe a city in Sweden also removed all cameras in 2008 after realising they were nothing but revenue raisers.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by opto

So why cant they shut them down in Australia ????

There are simple, democratic and legal ways to shut them down. You form a political party, based on your ideas, you sell it to your public, and once elected as a majority in parliament, you legislate to remove the cameras.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by opto

So why cant they shut them down in Australia ????

Because we keep voting morons with no idea into power because we support "the party".

While we continue to vote blindly regardless of how bad they are on the basis that "the others will be worse" even if we have no actual idea how good or bad they are, we will have things like this happen to us.

To give you a better idea. A high percentage of members on this forum would never buy a Holden or HSV and will go on and on as to how bad they are BUT HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY DRIVEN ANY.

They must be bad because we are FORD supporters and FORD/GOOD....HOLDEN/BAD mkay.

[Den76]

A different view-
lf this was to happen here in Australia there would be probably around 5000+ people looking for work, its just not the innocent people sitting in the camera cars or the people testing the fixed cameras, there is a whole network involved in this industry.
Its simple dont speed and you wont get fined.

Also what would half the people in here and in the media have to complain about on then, if this was to happen

[Bobman]

Originally Posted by Den76

A different view-
lf this was to happen here in Australia there would be probably around 5000+ people looking for work, its just not the innocent people sitting in the camera cars or the people testing the fixed cameras, there is a whole network involved in this industry.
Its simple dont speed and you wont get fined.

Also what would half the people in here and in the media have to complain about on then, if this was to happen

Why is that a big deal? They aren't contributing to society so it's no loss of those jobs considering how many of our companies have gone off-shore and ten times the amount of people you've mentioned above have been laid off.

You say that if you don't speed you won't get fined. That is a very naive thing to say. Do you also believe that if women never have sex they won't get pregnant? Seriously...

[BPXR6T]

Classic, I know the guys who implemented that.

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by Bobman

You say that if you don't speed you won't get fined. That is a very naive thing to say. Do you also believe that if women never have sex they won't get pregnant? Seriously...

Ummmm I hope I am not interupting (just an avid viewer of the posts). I would assume that it is a very common thought that if you dont speed, your very unlikely to get a speeding fine.

And apart from IVF, I believe as from 1976, it was legislated that one cant get pregnant from sitting on a toliet seat, or swimming in a pool. So I too am of the notion that if one doesnt have sex, they wont get pregnant.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Den76

A different view-
lf this was to happen here in Australia there would be probably around 5000+ people looking for work, its just not the innocent people sitting in the camera cars or the people testing the fixed cameras, there is a whole network involved in this industry.
Its simple dont speed and you wont get fined.

Also what would half the people in here and in the media have to complain about on then, if this was to happen

No it is not your statement that is simple.......

[xtremerus]

Originally Posted by Den76

A different view-
lf this was to happen here in Australia there would be probably around 5000+ people looking for work, its just not the innocent people sitting in the camera cars or the people testing the fixed cameras, there is a whole network involved in this industry.
Its simple dont speed and you wont get fined.

Also what would half the people in here and in the media have to complain about on then, if this was to happen

As you say, it s an 'Industry'.
It's all about making money, and not saving lives.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by flappist

Because we keep voting morons with no idea into power because we support "the party".

While we continue to vote blindly regardless of how bad they are on the basis that "the others will be worse" even if we have no actual idea how good or bad they are, we will have things like this happen to us.

To give you a better idea. A high percentage of members on this forum would never buy a Holden or HSV and will go on and on as to how bad they are BUT HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY DRIVEN ANY.

They must be bad because we are FORD supporters and FORD/GOOD....HOLDEN/BAD mkay.

these morons that get voted in . are they the liberals that were voted in 3 times running , or the labor ones that were voted in , in 2007. somehow they are both responsible for where we are today .
isnt it bit more that in this country the media ( govt controlled ) only have to voice an opinion in negative critique, and suddenly the majority of australia will blast whinge and rav about the topic/or victims cited by the media . i'll give an example , ( wharfies are bludgers) or ( road workers are lazy) suddenly a paramount of australian citizens will rally to take away anything promoted about thoise positions , when the majority of people wouldnt have a F U * K IN idea , what it feels like digging a whole in the middle of the night through a concrete raod to fix a leak at 3 am .
thats what is wrong with this country . WE DONT LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER AND LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE GO DOWN .( SOMETIMES IT SHAMES ME TO BE AN AUSSIE living on the ideolic nature that our forebearers had . but in truth we are bitter and twisted shamers led by capitalists and huge profiteers , like the RTA , and economic trade govts and bosses .

good on america for this . it's great to see patriotism over capitolist profits .

[burnz]

Originally Posted by Den76

A different view-
lf this was to happen here in Australia there would be probably around 5000+ people looking for work, its just not the innocent people sitting in the camera cars or the people testing the fixed cameras, there is a whole network involved in this industry.
Its simple dont speed and you wont get fined.

Also what would half the people in here and in the media have to complain about on then, if this was to happen

let me guess, your superfund is with mac bank..

[GasoLane]

For all those "If you don't speed you wont get fined" people, think of the revenue loss if NO ONE was caught for speeding.

Like most businesses, State Govt's have to earn money. Here in NSW they were thinking of booking anyone for going 4kmh over the posted limit. This tells me that more people are slowing down and the Govt is missing out on higher fines (for higher speeding offences.)

So, if everyone stuck to the speed limit everywhere we would eventually get to the stage where Bureaucrats would have to think of other ways to bring in the much needed income.


Fast forward to Newspaper headlines in 2020..........

"Motorist fined for driving a dirty car!... A Drivesafe committee spokesman said today that 'dirty cars are a hazard. Clean cars reflect the sun better and so other motorists are able to see them better.
This is why the clean car laws were brought in. It has absolutely nothing to do with revenue raising!'

[burnz]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

For all those "If you don't speed you wont get fined" people, think of the revenue loss if NO ONE was caught for speeding.

Like most businesses, State Govt's have to earn money. Here in NSW they were thinking of booking anyone for going 4kmh over the posted limit. This tells me that more people are slowing down and the Govt is missing out on higher fines (for higher speeding offences.)

So, if everyone stuck to the speed limit everywhere we would eventually get to the stage where Bureaucrats would have to think of other ways to bring in the much needed income.


Fast forward to Newspaper headlines in 2020..........

"Motorist fined for driving a dirty car!... A Drivesafe committee spokesman said today that 'dirty cars are a hazard. Clean cars reflect the sun better and so other motorists are able to see them better.
This is why the clean car laws were brought in. It has absolutely nothing to do with revenue raising!'

the daily blog reports millions of motorists fine over water restictions abuse,
govco's portfolio skyrockets...

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by xtremerus

As you say, it s an 'Industry'.
It's all about making money, and not saving lives.

exactly!

However wouldn't the Arizona government employ staff to hand out fines and increase the fines to cover the cost? Makes sense.