TxDOT To Install Speed Cameras

[aosman]

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/18/1800.asp

[TexasArchitect]

TxDOT's vendor will send notices -- warnings at first -- to motorists driving just 5 MPH over the limit with an accuracy level of +/- 2 MPH, meaning those driving just 3 MPH over the limit could receive a photograph and letter in the mail.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! oh heyyllll nooo!! this would totally suck!!

i dont think i can drive 60mph on the freeway, that would be a handicap!!

this is not going to pass, for this i will go picket, lol. i don't mind red light cameras or even the ticket if u dont wear ur seatbelt, but this...this is too much.

to be blunt i don't even stop at those metered lights that are on the on-ramps of freeways. well, let me clarify that i don't stop at those lights in morning and evening rush hour. when there's no traffic i do i know i know it's wrong, but whatever, those things are stupid.

[Pumapayam]

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! oh heyyllll nooo!! this would totally suck!!

i dont think i can drive 60mph on the freeway, that would be a handicap!!

this is not going to pass, for this i will go picket, lol. i don't mind red light cameras or even the ticket if u dont wear ur seatbelt, but this...this is too much.

to be blunt i don't even stop at those metered lights that are on the on-ramps of freeways. well, let me clarify that i don't stop at those lights in morning and evening rush hour. when there's no traffic i do i know i know it's wrong, but whatever, those things are stupid.

I read about that on either Engadget or Gizmodo.

The first one is going to be around College Station.

[TJones]

I will have to open a new bank account, just to pay for the speeding tickets. This is gonna suck majorly ! What is so stupid, is that it is the erratic drivers and people distracted by their cellphones while speeding, or those impaired and speeding that cause the majority of wrecks, not those focused on driving and doing 10 miles over. I actually called in to Michael Berry this morning to give my point of view about how we should have ettiquette, and leave the left lane for us speeders.

Edited June 14, 2007 by TJones

[TexasArchitect]

What is so stupid, is that it is the erratic drivers and people distracted by their cellphones while speeding, or those impaired and speeding that cause the majority of wrecks,

I actually called in to Michael Berry this morning to give my point of view about how we should have ettiquette, and leave the left lane for us speeders.

i hate that!! the other day there was this fool just cruisin all sittin sideways in the left lane. he was going about 55mph i got irrated and all he could see was me doing this in his rear view mirror

he moved and traffic started flying by him. what an idiot, the dumb a$$ even had a radar detector, WTF for i dont know

[lockmat]

Wow, that really really sucks. Although, I doubt they're gonna give out a ticket for going just a few mph over the limit. We already have these in Albuquerque, but just at intersections, not on the highway! I've also been a victim too, and it sucked. They sent me a ticket in the mail that even had a link online where I could go watch myself speeding, where it was easily seen that I was going faster than the other cars.

[TJones]

Good Post Lockmat ! That is exactly how it should be. If you clearly see yourself doing it out of THEIR perspective, how can you argue ?

[lockmat]

Good Post Lockmat ! That is exactly how it should be. If you clearly see yourself doing it out of THEIR perspective, how can you argue ?

Yeah, it's fair. I got my justice. It just sucks because I didn't even know there were cameras there. I would always see flashing when I went through the intersection, but thought it was lightning. I was confused. But then, bam! All of a sudden I get a ticket in the mail. Not the best Christmas present I ever got. Plus, the ticket was pretty expensive. Around $100 if I remember right. And if I didn't pay on time, it would have been another hundred.

[Vertigo58]

They sent me a ticket in the mail that even had a link online where I could go watch myself speeding, where it was easily seen that I was going faster than the other cars.

man, thats beyond words! See yourself speeding!??? I mean its also kind of funny.

This is all about blackmail, nothing more nothing less. We are getting more and more like Russia and Cuba each day.

This will start generating tons of retaliation from the public. I can see (myself/cohorts) getting in a car or anything and getting in front of a camera late at night. Stop in the intersection and make sure there are no witnesses and start performing a show and have extras on hand. Disguised of course. They can be entertained (or po'd) for a while. Just run as quick as possible! You could do plays or famous scenes from movies or famous celebrities. A parade type float would be great just create a moving set and have actors go at it. I see them coming out of the wood work. It can be done. If theres a will theres a way. >

Don't get mad get even, its the American way!

[TexasArchitect]

I would always see flashing when I went through the intersection, but thought it was lightning.

LOL, that was funny. so they have these things up and running where u reside?

i just can't see this working on I-45 or other freeways in Houston. i mean traffic is bad as is now imagine it with these cameras

and how would they place these cameras to get a clear pic of ur car's licence plate? i mean if i'm on 45 and going fast and there's someone next to me, behind me and in front of me technically we'd all get tickets but who would the camera get??

Edited June 14, 2007 by TexasArchitect

[musicman]

Yeah, it's fair. I got my justice. It just sucks because I didn't even know there were cameras there. I would always see flashing when I went through the intersection, but thought it was lightning. I was confused. But then, bam! All of a sudden I get a ticket in the mail. Not the best Christmas present I ever got. Plus, the ticket was pretty expensive. Around $100 if I remember right. And if I didn't pay on time, it would have been another hundred.

by law here, there must be posted signage otherwise the ticket isn't valid. i know i've gotten out of my one parking ticket because of lack of signage (on the meter itself)

[lockmat]

LOL, that was funny. so they have these things up and running where u reside?

They aren't on the freeways, just major intersections. On the ticket itself that I got in the mail, there was a big picture that showed my entire truck and one that was zoomed in that showed only my license plate.

Don't get mad get even, its the American way!

I'm not so much mad. It just sucked because it blindsided me. No police car to pull me over, no discussion with an officer. Just an unexpected piece of mail. I work with a former cop as well and he said they're basically impossible to fight.

Edited June 14, 2007 by lockmat

[Vertigo58]

I'm not so much mad. It just sucked because it blindsided me. No police car to pull me over, no discussion with an officer. Just an unexpected piece of mail. I work with a former cop as well and he said they're basically impossible to fight.

I feel your pain. It's bad on the Westchase side of Houston. I have to drive along Westpark Tollway each day and at the big intersections people get stuck in the middle then we see that freaking flash go off. Thats is so screwed up. These people get stuck because the auto in front of them suddenly slows or stops them and that makes them miss the light. Imagine the angst and stress of the driver/s? This stupid camera is making people rush across so as not to get a ticket and they get trapped anyway. There are also many wrecks because people try not to get caught in the middle (like moi). These cameras they tripping me out y'all.

Edited June 19, 2007 by ssullivan

[mumbles]

Well I hope they are also going to give out tickets for people going too

slow in the fast lane.

[Vertigo58]

Looks like were' all gonna be on Candid Camera whether we like it or not!

Theme Song: When you least expect, it your elected, your our star today. SMILE! your on candid camera!

or the might as well have Jamie Kennedy manning headquarters doing a Houston version of Punk'd.

We all get punk'd!

[TAK]

non-reflective clear coat spray will become very popular.

[Vertigo58]

non-reflective clear coat spray will become very popular.

Correct, and people that are getting angry will (if not already) start taking frustrations out on these cameras by takinmg aim and shooting at them. Tax payers will foot the bill too.

[jm1fd]

I have to drive along Westpark Tollway each day and at the big intersections people get stuck in the middle then we see that freaking flash go off. Thats is so screwed up. These people get stuck because the auto in front of them suddenly slows or stops them and that makes them miss the light.

The law in Texas is something like this....if any part of your car is in the intersection before the light turns red, then that is not considered running the light.

[TJones]

It is a give and take situation. Who hasn't thought that the officer writing you a ticket should be out catching "REAL CRIMINALS" instead of wasting time and taxpayer money pulling you over. Well, now you got your wish, and it still leaves a bitter taste, beacuse everyone thinks that there are levels to breaking laws. Speeding, is against the law, even if you speed, just a little bit, you are endangering others around you with a lethal weapon. Running red lights is against the law, and people sitting at intersections are just so Pavlovian as to "green means go!" that they don't look both ways

all the time to see if anyone is coming, and BOOM !

Look at it this way, if someone rapes you, but they just raped for a couple of minutes and there was no cop around to catch them, they still broke the law, correct ? Just because a cop is not around doesn't make the law any less broken.

[cottonmather0]

I don't think it's a big deal - I sincerely doubt it will get so far as to have these things installed on Houston freeways. No freaking way. The test cases will get installed in El Paso and Aggieland, and maybe eventually some other rural freeways, and after a few months of random tickets going out the public outcry will be so loud that Rick Perry (or whoever is governor) and the legislature will tell TXDOT to cut it out. This is Texas, after all. And besides, they can't install these things on EVERY highway in the state - I'll just find some smaller roads when I do my traveling... not a problem. What they really need to do is widen I-10 to six lanes all the way to San Antonio and most people won't be forced to speed to keep up in the left lane - call it the "medium" lane or something.

Someone mentioned Westpark, and I agree, these cameras might work well in an application like that, but it might be kind of hard with so much local traffic.

And if they do end up on the freeway, the other side of the coin is this: they can't catch everyone, so just be sure that you stay in the pack and you're not going faster than everyone else. You'll only get caught if the camera has a clear view, right?

I don't like the idea, but I sincerely doubt it will get very far.

[Justin]

Don't they have something like this on that really long bridge I-10 has in Louisiana... I forget the name of the swamps it crosses. I seem to remember hearing that they have it there.

[foxmulder]

i hate that!! the other day there was this fool just cruisin all sittin sideways in the left lane. he was going about 55mph i got irrated and all he could see was me doing this in his rear view mirror

he moved and traffic started flying by him. what an idiot, the dumb a$$ even had a radar detector, WTF for i dont know

Here is a short list of people/cars not allowed in left lane,

Old buicks(near cullen)

Old 80+ year people with handicap permits

Work trucks(god these guys are idiots, Never heard of Turn signals.)

18 Wheelers

any car, truck, van or any vehicle older than 15 years old.

Vans

[rvas1011]

I sincerely doubt it will get so far as to have these things installed on Houston freeways. No freaking way. The test cases will get installed in El Paso and Aggieland, and maybe eventually some other rural freeways, and after a few months of random tickets going out the public outcry will be so loud that Rick Perry (or whoever is governor) and the legislature will tell TXDOT to cut it out.

i agre, i dont think this will go far. the freeways get too jammed packed for this idea to effectively work.

plus where would they place these cameras?

once people know where they are they'll do their regular speeding, slam on the brakes for the area where the cameras are, and just slam back on the gas pedal after passing the camera. or at least that's what i would do

texasarch, u just need to slow down period, mr. "drive it like it's stolen" LOL

Work trucks(god these guys are idiots, Never heard of Turn signals.)

these guys need to be taken off the road period!!! they cant drive on freeways or feeders!!

Edited June 18, 2007 by rvas1011

[woolie]

The real issue isn't speeding. We depend on the rule of law, and speeding is not only against the law, it's dangerous. Speeding is a violation of the social contract you agree when you use the public highways. It is correct to punish people for speeding. It makes me angry when people aren't punished for speeding. If you disagree with the traffic laws, change the traffic laws, don't say "it's not fair for the law to be enforced." Lax enforcement of laws, at officer's discretion, leads to a terrible situation that only encourages discrimination against people without power or means to 'wriggle out,' blackmail, intimidation, etc. So we should all hope for fair enforcement of laws that exist, because we can monitor what laws exist, and aim to repeal laws that are unjust. Differential enforcement of laws is the same thing as a secret law, the defining trait of a police state people here are crying about. (add: of course I believe in due process and a fair trial, but what I'm concerned about is the kind of differential enforcement we see where it's ok for certain classes of people (paris hilton, celebrities, company executives, children of politically powerful people) get away with breaking all kinds of laws that would be certain jail time for less advantaged people. Also I think plenty of laws are unjust and should be destroyed. but the process should be transparent and through political channels; it shouldn't matter if you're dealing with a 'good cop' or a 'bad cop')

The real problem is privacy. Some would argue it's not right for the government to keep records of where every car is every second. It infringes, or creates an environment where infringement is inevitable, against freedom to assemble, invasion of privacy, etc. Instead of assuming no one is looking, we have to trust the government not to tell anyone what they saw.

Edited June 18, 2007 by woolie

[Subdude]

Here is a short list of people/cars not allowed in left lane,

Old buicks(near cullen)

Old 80+ year people with handicap permits

Work trucks(god these guys are idiots, Never heard of Turn signals.)

18 Wheelers

any car, truck, van or any vehicle older than 15 years old.

Vans

What I would like to see is for this to be made official. One of the big differences you notice here compared with a lot of the rest of the world is that the concept of slow traffic keeping to one lane is ignored. I would like to see some system where examples like you mention would be issued special plates that would restrict them to the slow lane. This would apply to any vehicle big, bulky, or slow. It isn't just an issue of speed. Vehicles like this slow traffic flow in other ways, such as by taking a long time to accelerate from traffic lights or to negotiate turns. They should be segregated from more agile vehicles.

[cottonmather0]

What I would like to see is for this to be made official. One of the big differences you notice here compared with a lot of the rest of the world is that the concept of slow traffic keeping to one lane is ignored. I would like to see some system where examples like you mention would be issued special plates that would restrict them to the slow lane. This would apply to any vehicle big, bulky, or slow. It isn't just an issue of speed. Vehicles like this slow traffic flow in other ways, such as by taking a long time to accelerate from traffic lights or to negotiate turns. They should be segregated from more agile vehicles.

Theoretically, they shouldn't even need special plates, law enforcement already has the full authority to ticket them for causing an unsafe situation. Not that they actually exercise that authority in practice, though...

[TexasArchitect]

Here is a short list of people/cars not allowed in left lane,

Old buicks(near cullen)

u specifially siad near cullen i take it you've had a bad experience with old buicks near cullen? lol but i must say i agree with u and ur list.

texasarch, u just need to slow down period, mr. "drive it like it's stolen" LOL

LOL LOL uhhhhh ok miss "i have a lead foot" i saw how u drove out of the parking lot on saturday, LOL.

granted it's true what woolie said about speeding being against the law. i dunno i guess if cameras were put up and everyone was forced to go 60mph then that might decrease accidents??? nah who i'm i kidding there's just too many dumb ppl on the road. this camera thing isn't gonna pass i can bet on it....

[TJones]

Here is a short list of people/cars not allowed in left lane,

any car, truck, van or any vehicle older than 15 years old.

Ummmm, I will disagree with this part of your list. I have a '72 Olds Cutlass Supreme that I guarantee will outrun, in the 1/4 mile or the Autobahn, anything you may be currently driving on four wheels.

PRINT IT !

[Vertigo58]

That means these guys will get busted for speeding too!

Maybe that TV atty Terry Bryant could defend them in court?

[foxmulder]

Ummmm, I will disagree with this part of your list. I have a '72 Olds Cutlass Supreme that I guarantee will outrun, in the 1/4 mile or the Autobahn, anything you may be currently driving on four wheels.

PRINT IT !

Drive it! I meant old sloppy cars, 1980's lincoln continentals, Van Dura vans, 1983 toyota trucks...etc