The city I work in contracted out the implementation of school district speed cameras to a private company, who gets a cut of each ticket.
While the city’s goal was likely more on safety than revenue, if speed cameras didn’t raise revenue the private company wouldn’t have accepted a share as part of their fee.
Cities will start and end school zones within a quarter mile of each other. The safer option would be to have the street stay a school zone for its entire length, but no. I’ve seen many cases of “end school zone, speed limit 35” signs just before the start of a school zone. There’s no way that isn’t fine to farm tickets at the expense of children’s safety.
American streets are dangerous for children. The solution should be to make the streets safe, everywhere all the time. A temporary speed limit in a few spots doesn’t fix anything.
There is a street in Chicago that runs straight through a nothing-ass area. On one side there’s a fenced-off neighborhood, yeah, but on the other side there’s nothing but an elevated toll road.
There is no reason for anyone to cross this street on foot. I cannot emphasize enough how much nothing there is on the highway side of the street. The sidewalks are physically separated from the street by actual trees. There are three lanes each way, no stop signs, and very few stop-lights.
Just a mile down the road is Hammond, Indiana where speed cameras are illegal, and the speed limit is 40 miles per hour.
As soon as you cross the border into Chicago? It’s 30.
Tell us more about how speed cameras aren’t just transparent revenue-seeking.
That’s not what they said.
That’s not what the article says.
The new rule is, they can’t use federal funds tagged for “Road Safety Improvements” on automated camera systems.
It’s a good idea. Put the money to actually making the roads safer instead.
The idea that speed cameras are used to raise revenue is a myth.
NYC speed cameras issued $220 million in fines in 2023.
New York City’s total budget is $112.4 billion.
220 million / 112 billion = 0.001964
Speed cameras make up 0.19% of New York’s total revenue.
The reason they are used instead of cops is that unlike traffic cops:
They’re also part of the rising surveillance state. Fuck these cameras.
The city I work in contracted out the implementation of school district speed cameras to a private company, who gets a cut of each ticket.
While the city’s goal was likely more on safety than revenue, if speed cameras didn’t raise revenue the private company wouldn’t have accepted a share as part of their fee.
Cities will start and end school zones within a quarter mile of each other. The safer option would be to have the street stay a school zone for its entire length, but no. I’ve seen many cases of “end school zone, speed limit 35” signs just before the start of a school zone. There’s no way that isn’t fine to farm tickets at the expense of children’s safety.
American streets are dangerous for children. The solution should be to make the streets safe, everywhere all the time. A temporary speed limit in a few spots doesn’t fix anything.
Traffic calming devices don’t require healthcare.
Continuous sidewalks do not shoot people.
Modal filters don’t go on strike.
Safe street design cannot take bribes.
There are better options than you proposed.
There is a street in Chicago that runs straight through a nothing-ass area. On one side there’s a fenced-off neighborhood, yeah, but on the other side there’s nothing but an elevated toll road.
There is no reason for anyone to cross this street on foot. I cannot emphasize enough how much nothing there is on the highway side of the street. The sidewalks are physically separated from the street by actual trees. There are three lanes each way, no stop signs, and very few stop-lights.
Just a mile down the road is Hammond, Indiana where speed cameras are illegal, and the speed limit is 40 miles per hour.
As soon as you cross the border into Chicago? It’s 30.
Tell us more about how speed cameras aren’t just transparent revenue-seeking.
Noise pollution is a thing.
Then maybe they should implement some traffic-calming, if they actually want slower traffic and aren’t just trying to get money.