Speed Cam Options for cities that want safe streets

www.examiner.com...

Speed Cams are a big political issue in Chicago these days because Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants speed cams put along city streets near all schools and parks - all schools and parks! They will be operative most of the day, spitting out tickets like mad, yet Emanuel says it's all about safety - not about the money.
How about these Spee Cam options to make streets safer for kids and to let politicians like Emanuel prove it's not about money...
Your opinions are welcome, ATS!

www.examiner.com...

Speed cameras are not about safety they are about money.

Alan Buckingham, from Bath Spa University College, analysed U.K. and Australian data to see if there was a correlation between speed cameras and road deaths. He found that a reduction in fatal accidents in the U.K. until the early 1990s... due largely to driver education... stalled when cameras were introduced.

But in other countries such as Germany, where there are no speed cameras, there was a steady fall in deaths. The sociology lecturer, who says he has never had a speeding fine, accused the police of targeting drivers who break the limit by only a fraction and ignoring more serious infringements.

We have all become accustomed to the message that "speed kills", but my research shows that there is no simple relationship between speed and death,' he added, 'Speeding is rarely the primary cause of fatal road accidents.'

My data actually shows it is the slowest drivers who are the most dangerous.' The number of speed cameras in Britain has at least trebled in the past five years to an estimated 4,500 - up 1,000 on last year alone. But this has been at the expense of traffic patrols, so drink-drivers and motorists who are driving dangerously are not being stopped.

Edmund King, of the RAC foundation, said: 'What this report shows is that road safety is more complex than the slogan "Speed kills". 'There are other things on the road that lead to accidents, including tailgating, drugs and alcohol. We would say to the Government: If this is not about money, then set up more driver awareness centres.'

www.roadsupervisors.net...

t is hard for a politician to come out and tell the truth about the money. I suppose it could happen but I wonder where the evaluation data is. Are they just moving ahead with umpteen thousands of dollars of wonder widgets or is there an independent analysis to back up the taxpayer expense?

Originally posted by ABNARTY
t is hard for a politician to come out and tell the truth about the money. I suppose it could happen but I wonder where the evaluation data is. Are they just moving ahead with umpteen thousands of dollars of wonder widgets or is there an independent analysis to back up the taxpayer expense?

Do you really have to ask that question? You know damn well that cities are sought out by companies whose business it is to set up speed and red-light cameras, demonstrate to the city how much money they'll make [after the company gets their cut], and lay out the contract and collect the signatures. Analysis? Analyses are college professors....

reply to post by ReeceIkyle


Thanks for this information. It's very informative. If there is any more available, I'd like to know about it. Thanks again, my friend.