TheNewspaper

Australian Audit Report: Safety Not Sole Concern in Speed Camera Deployment

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-20T01:22-08:00

A report by the Auditor General of Tasmania, Australia released yesterday called into question whether speed cameras were being deployed based on revenue concerns. A team of investigators interviewed police officials, examined documents and other records in order to analyze the state's photo ticketing program over the course of eight months. The final audit questioned why safety concerns did not appear to guide camera placement.

"We tested to see whether deployment of [photo radar] resources to the various speed zones was a reasonable reflection of the proportion of accidents occurring within them," the report explained. "Figure 8 appears to show a low correlation between the level of enforcement and serious and fatal crashes on a speed zone basis. Department of Police and Emergency Management has directed a disproportionate percentage of its speed camera enforcement resources towards the 40 to 60 km/h zones, despite a higher percentage of serious and fatal road crashes occurring in the 100 and 110 km/h zones."

The report also found that most crashes happen in the afternoon, but the speed cameras tended to be deployed in the morning. The auditor found the disparity between the times when accidents happen most and when the cameras were deployed to have been "excessive." The report found that speed cameras were idle an average of 22 percent of the time because of "operator leave, faulty equipment, or equipment transport delays." When photographs taken did not result in citations, the cause 9 percent of the time was "operator error" and "equipment failure" 29 percent of the time.

The average driver in Tasmania passed by a speed camera at least twice a month, placing Tasmania second only to Victoria in issuing the most citations per capita. Despite the heavy ticketing, the report found no credible evidence of a reduction in speeding as a result of the cameras. To the contrary, since 2003, the number of speeding tickets issued per thousand vehicles monitored has increased, not decreased.

Opposition Police Spokesman Rene Hidding called the report evidence of "dollar driven government" in a statement.

"The Tasmanian driving public have been telling us for years that they feel speed cameras are revenue raisers because of their locations," Hidding said. "The auditor-general appears to agree with these concerns."

To further increase the number of citations, the audit report recommended deploying more fixed speed cameras because they "represent good value for money in locations with high-volume traffic." It recommended that traffic police issue fewer warnings to drivers in 2009. The auditor also recommended realigning camera deployments with safety concerns.

A copy of the report is available in a 1.1mb PDF file at the source link below. Source

Shareholder Revolt Takes Out Three Traffic Camera Company Leaders

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-19T01:23-08:00

Angry shareholders yesterday ousted the chairman of the board of a major traffic camera company and two of his closest allies. Redflex Chairman Chris Cooper and Directors Peter Lewinsky and Roger Sawley resigned to avoid an embarrassing vote after learning that a majority of shareholder proxies expressed no confidence in their continued leadership. The internal revolt followed closely upon the revolt of Ohio voters in the cities of Chillicothe and Heath.

Cooper and his wife will retain influence on Redflex as major shareholders in the company, a point the former chairman made while delivering a farewell address to meeting attendees.

"Without doubt, Redflex's primary basis is as a business entity," Cooper said. "Its activities are focused on generating a profitable bottom line for the company's owners -- its shareholders.... I intend personally to maintain a significant financial investment in the company and maintain my support for the company."

Despite the ongoing recession, Redflex boasted of a 48 percent increase in revenue for the Australian company. As 87 percent of the company's revenue stream derives from motorists in the United States, trouble with American ticketing programs can put the future of Redflex growth on the line. The company explained that the US public is increasingly not paying citations issued by the private Australian company.

"Collection rates in the US business remain an issue and this is a particular focus for the company," CEO Graham Davie said."[There has been] a reduction in collection rates in a number of jurisdictions, and particularly in the state of Arizona."

Management of the Arizona program, which Davie said caused a loss of cash due to "allocation of poor quality deployments for the mobile speed vans" served as a catalyst for the shareholder action.

"Hunter Hall has concluded that, so far, the 'Arizona statewide' program has been an expensive failure," revolt leader Jack Lowenstein wrote on behalf of his firm.

Later today, the top Redflex lobbyist, Jay Heiler, will defend the Arizona photo radar program in a debate with the grassroots group CameraFraud.com at a meeting of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce. Source

Federal Court Bans South Carolina Christian License Plate

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-18T00:26-08:00

A US District Court judge ruled last week that the state of South Carolina violated the federal Constitution when it allowed drivers to choose a Christian-themed license plate last year. Judge Cameron McGowan Currie issued a scathing decision prohibiting the state from going forward with the plate's production.

"This case presents a textbook example of the need for and continued vitality of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, as applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment," Currie wrote. "The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly warned that government may not promote or affiliate itself with any religious doctrine or organization. This limitation on government action is based on the clear understanding of our founders that a union of government and religion tends to destroy government and to degrade religion."

Currie pointed out that the state's department of motor vehicles created the plate in response to the 2008 law, not because members of the public demanded it. A special interest group known as Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit claiming the state should not have singled out Christianity over other religions by featuring a cross and a stained glass window on the plate.

"Government must never be allowed to express favored treatment for one faith over others," Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, said in a statement. "That's unconstitutional and un-American."

South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer was the driving force behind the legislation that created the plate. He noted that even atheists can select a "Secular Humanists of the Low Country" plate which replaces the phrase "In God We Trust" with "In Reason We Trust" (view plate).

"Over a hundred different license plates in South Carolina allow freedom of expression from a multitude of different activities -- to clubs to groups to colleges," Bauer testified. "And I thought that if everyone else is allowed that opportunity, why shouldn't believers in the Christian faith be able to express themselves -- as so many other people have been able to."

Currie fired back in her ruling with a broadside attack on Bauer.

"The 'I Believe' Act had its genesis in Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer's desire to do here what had been unsuccessful in the state of Florida -- to gain legislative approval of a specialty plate promoting the majority religion: Christianity," Currie wrote. "Whether motivated by sincerely held Christian beliefs or an effort to purchase political capital with religious coin, the result is the same. The statute is clearly unconstitutional and defense of its implementation has embroiled the state in unnecessary (and expensive) litigation."

Currie struck down the law authorizing the plate and ordered that taxpayers pay the lawyer's fees for Americans United. A copy of the ruling is available in a 150k PDF file at the source link below. Source

Illinois Lawmakers Push Red Light Camera Restrictions

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-17T00:42-08:00

A handful of Illinois state lawmakers are fighting to rein in and possibly eliminate the use of red light cameras when the legislature returns to session in January. The most ambitious proposal comes from state Senator Dan Duffy (R-Barrington) who last month introduced Senate Bill 2466 to wipe any authorization of automated ticketing machines from the statute books. Duffy complained on his website earlier this month about the corrupting influence that a UK-Israeli operator of traffic cameras has had on the statehouse.

"This company not only provides the red light cameras for much of the Chicagoland area it also lobbies for legislation to increase their business," Duffy wrote. "Redspeed uses email updates targeting specific legislators who are not voting in favor of Redspeed."

State Representative Angelo Saviano (R-Elmwood Park) has a more limited objective in mind. Last month he introduced legislation that would not ban cameras entirely, but instead would ban the most lucrative form of ticketing.

"A county or municipality, including a home rule county or municipality, may not use an automated traffic law enforcement system to provide recorded images of a motor vehicle for the purpose of issuing violations to persons driving a motor vehicle who enter an intersection to turn right, or to turn left from a one-way street into a one-way street," House Bill 4631 states.

Several Chicago suburbs have earned millions in revenue almost entirely from issuing right turn on red tickets with cameras. Very few accidents are ever caused by drivers making right hand turns on red after slowing, according to US Department of Transportation data (view report).

State Senator Rickey R. Hendon (D-Chicago) offered the least ambitious of the red light camera measures. His bill would prevent localities from issuing a ticket for a certain type of technical infraction.

"A county or municipality, including a home rule county or municipality, may not use an automated traffic law enforcement system to provide recorded images of a motor vehicle for the purpose of issuing violations to persons driving a motor vehicle who come to a stop one foot or less past the point where a driver is required to stop," Senate Bill 2477 states.

All three bills face an uphill battle in a legislature that has consistently expanded the use of automated ticketing over the past few years. Copies of each proposal can be found in a 200k PDF file at the source link below. Source

Michigan Lawmakers Consider Repeal of Driver Responsibility Tax

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-16T00:21-08:00

The Judiciary Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives is expected this week to consider repealing the state's Driver Responsibility Act (DRA). Since 2004, Michigan has used this law to impose a tax of $300 to $2000 on certain driving offenses, plus an annual tax of $100 to $500 a year for anyone with more than seven points on his license. State Representative Bettie Cook Scott (D-Detroit) introduced a bill that would repeal the this law by the end of the year.

"The DRA is not a law to promote justice and safety on the roads," Scott testified in an earlier hearing on her bill. "It's a law that generates money... If the industrial and manufacturing revenues to the state have dropped, the state should not shift the loss of revenue on to its lowest wage earners. It must focus on attracting and creating new business that can create revenue."

Last year, the tax generated $114.2 million in revenue for the state. Since 2004, drivers have been billed a total of $800 million, but only $400 million has actually been collected as thousands have been unable to make the steep payments required.

"If you were forced to choose between keeping your lights on or paying for DRA fees, which one would you choose?" Scott asked. "So what happens? The state charges them extra money by charging two years of DRA fees. Because they do not have extra money and have not paid fees they have their driver's license suspended or allow their auto insurance to lapse."

According to state data, the number of license suspensions and unlicensed drivers has skyrocketed since the law took effect. There were 39,465 assessments for driving on a suspended license in 2004, a figure which jumped 42 percent to 56,183 in 2008. The number of those caught driving without insurance jumped from 2063 to 89,202 in the same period.

Under House Bill 4098, drivers with payments due before the end of the year would have their tax cut in half. The state of Virginia last year eliminated its short-lived "abuser fee" program in response to vocal public opposition.

A copy of the bill is available in a 35k PDF file at the source link below. Source

Dorset, UK Speed Camera Destroyed by Fire

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-15T11:40-08:00

Vigilantes set fire to a speed camera in Dorset, UK at around 2am on Thursday. The automated ticketing machine had been operating in the Longham area of Ringwood Road until a burning tire put the device out of commission.

This is the fourth attack in the area since August when vigilantes also eliminated cameras on Magna Road in Bearwood, Ringwood Road in Verwood and Horton Road in Three Legged Cross. Cameras were also destroyed in 2006.

"The cameras also cost a lot," Ferndown Mayor Queenie Comfort told the Bournemouth Echo newspaper. "When you set tires on fire they make a most ghastly smell and they are toxic." Source

European Union Creates International Speeding Ticket

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-14T00:28-08:00

Speeding tickets are beginning to cross international borders in Europe, thanks to the European car and driving license information system, or Eucaris. At the beginning of the year, Swiss motorists began being charged for speed camera tickets issued by French authorities. As of October, the French government had collected on a total of 10,000 citations from violations allegedly committed by vehicles registered in Switzerland. A total of 1800 tickets were issued last month alone.

Prior to Eucaris, most countries had no means of collecting on automated tickets issued to non-citizens because there was no automated system that could identify vehicle registrations in a foreign country. Beginning in 1994, a number of authorities upset by losing millions in potential revenue created the drive to standardize the sharing of electronic vehicle and driver's license records among the disparate database systems in twenty countries.

Progress in connecting these databases has been slow. Only last year did The Netherlands and Germany become the first to swap speed camera ticketing information through the Eucaris system. Cross-border tickets will also be issued in Belgium as part of a bilateral information exchange program.

Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom have all signed the Eucaris treaty with the rest of the European Union countries expected on board by August 2011. Once fully connected, officials hope to be able to issue fully international speeding tickets and introduce further uses, such as the collection of per-mile taxes. Source

Second Texas City Initiates Traffic Camera Referendum

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-13T00:12-08:00

Inspired by the success of the College Station, Texas initiative banning red light cameras, activists a hundred miles away in are collecting signatures to do the same in Baytown. Officials in the Gulf Coast city of 72,000 allowed American Traffic Solutions to set up the cameras in April 2008, but resident Byron Schirmbeck is circulating a petition in the hopes of giving voters the opportunity to take them back down.

"The response has been absolutely overwhelming," Schirmbeck told TheNewspaper. "I am conservative in saying that I have had less than ten percent of people I asked at public places refuse to sign because they support the cameras. The usual response to the question, 'Would you like to sign the petition to ban the red light cameras?' is 'Hell yes' and 'Can I get my wife to sign it too?'"

Schirmbeck formed the Baytown Red Light Camera Coalition PAC to coordinate the petition drive. He needs 620 verified signatures to qualify the initiative for the next ballot. No photo enforcement program has ever survived a public referendum.

Schirmbeck has been especially interested in the issue since he caught the city using illegally short yellow times in an effort to increase revenue. After he beat his ticket at West Baker and Garth Roads earlier this year, the city increased the yellow time to 4.5 seconds on June 5. Seeing the number of $75 violations drop, the city decreased the yellow time to 4.0 seconds in July. The city justified this change by putting up a 40 MPH speed limit sign on the camera-monitored approach, even though the other side of the same road is posted at 45 MPH. Texas law sets minimum yellow timing standards according to the posted speed limit.

"Just when I think I have seen the city do everything they can to keep their revenue with the cameras they go and surprise me again," Schirmbeck said. Source

Texas: Red Light Camera Company Blocks Referendum

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-12T01:10-08:00

A lawsuit funded by a photo enforcement company succeeded yesterday in temporarily blocking the results of the vote to end red light cameras in College Station, Texas. Judge Suzanne Stovall granted a temporary restraining order preventing the city from ending its contract with American Traffic Solutions, despite the November 3 vote of a majority of residents demanding that the cameras come down.

The law firm of Bovey, Akers and Bojorquez ostensibly filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Keep College Station Safe Political Action Committee (PAC), a group entirely funded by College Station's camera vendor, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) and its subcontractors. Of the PAC's $67,100 in reported funding, the largest chunk -- $30,000 -- came directly from ATS. Garry Mauro, a paid ATS consultant, gave $5000. Another $8000 came from Signal Electric, a Washington-based contractor that installs red light cameras for ATS. ForceCon Services, a Texas-based red light camera installation subcontractor, gave $5000. Questmark Information Management Inc, a company that prints citations for ATS, provided a $16,600 in-kind donation.

The company's election challenge argued that the initiative petition was invalid because it referenced an ordinance "enacted 10/25/08" when the ordinance in question had actually passed in October 2007.

"Given the failure on the part of the 'initiative petitions' to identify with reasonable specificity the ordinance sought to be repealed, as identified by its date of adoption, the court cannot ascertain the true outcome of the election and the election should be declared void," the ATS-backed suit explained.

The suit also contended that the initiative was actually a "referendum" that should have been filed in 2007, twenty days after the ordinance was adopted. Against this, Ash argued that his petition to the city council, signed by residents, was labeled "initiative" not "referendum." Moreover, the petition declares the "powers" referenced by the ordinance to be "deemed and declared unenforceable" -- a legislative action that would do more than simply overturn a particular ordinance.

Although College Station officials are named as defendants in the lawsuit, the city had been planning for this action. The city also admitted that it did not believe there was any mandate to take down the red light cameras, despite the election results.

"College Station was concerned that the petition was invalid because it was a referendum that was untimely filed, and told [petition sponsor Jim Ash] that regardless the city would submit the petition to the voters, but that the petition may be challenged in court," the city's brief to the court explained. "Such results do not in themselves send a clear message to College Station that the electorate overwhelmingly desires that red light cameras be banned."

Hearings on the issue will continue on November 20. Source

Rhode Island Governor Vetoes E-ZPass Privacy Bill

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-11T01:14-08:00

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri (R) on Monday vetoed legislation that would have imposed privacy restrictions on the use of E-ZPass toll transponder data. The scuttled bill also included a ban on schools and government agencies from using the same Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) transponder chips to track schoolchildren. Carcieri focused on the positive aspects of tracking children in his veto message.

"Why would the General Assembly therefore place restrictions on the use of this technology as an option for all students?" Carcieri wrote. "In certain circumstances, it may be helpful for schools to have the ability to quickly identify where each of their students is located... Such circumstances may include weather-related natural disasters, terrorist or criminal events or even a need for use during field trips and outside school activities."

This is the third time that Carcieri has vetoed a version of RFID privacy legislation. In 2006, lawmakers passed a bill that would have prohibited state and local government from using RFID to track their employees and schoolchildren in addition to restricting the use of RFID toll transponder information. The employee protection was dropped as a compromise.

"Originally developed to track cattle and commerce, RFID technology allows a person's identity and movement to be monitored electronically," the Rhode Island branch of the American Civil Liberties Union explained. "When the Middletown school district last year began a pilot program that placed RFID chips on the backpacks of elementary school children, purportedly to make sure they got on the right school bus, the need for this legislation became more apparent than ever."

The motorist protection vetoed in S. 211 specified that the RFID information used in a toll road transaction could not be considered public information. It further clarified that no law enforcement agency could gather or use RFID information without a court order -- unless he was investigating someone for not paying tolls. Courts around the country are split on the question of whether warrantless use of automobile tracking devices is lawful. The high court in Massachusetts recently said no while Wisconsin's second-highest court said yes.

A copy of S. 211 is available in a 10k PDF file at the source link below. Source

Colorado: Voters Reject Mandatory Vehicle Impound

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-10T01:20-08:00

Voters in Denver, Colorado last Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have forced police to impound cars whenever a driver failed to produce a driver's license. The measure was designed to expand a 2008 impound ordinance in a way that would have increased pressure on illegal immigrants.

"They are responsible for about half of the fatal accidents and, of course, they are uninsured," initiative sponsor Daniel Hayes argued. "Illegal aliens, like all unlicensed drivers, will be towed just as a domestic driver under suspension or revocation."

The text of the initiative called for the immediate impounding of a vehicle -- with no room for officer discretion -- if its driver "may be reasonably suspected" of being an illegal alien. The punishment, however, would have also applied to any driver who had forgotten his wallet at home. Driving without "convincing corroborating identification" would have required impounding, stranding a properly licensed owner on the side of the road. The initiative would have boosted the penalty on forgetful owners to $200 plus a $120 towing fee, a $30 processing fee and $20 per day storage.

Others would have been forced to post a $2500 bond within thirty days for the release of the vehicle, or the city would confiscate it. Denver officials, including the mayor, police chief and city council, strongly opposed the initiative based on the experience with the 2008 initiative authorizing impounding with officer discretion.

Denver Police estimated the number of tows would have doubled from 15,732 in 2009 to 33,892 in 2010, requiring five more police officers to handle the work load. Overall, the department estimated increased enforcement costs of $1.6 million, not counting the revenue from the impounds. For a total of two months this year, the city's impound lot reached the maximum capacity of 2200 cars and officers would only tow vehicles in cases where the vehicle was used as evidence of a crime.

"Under the proposal, drivers who simply forgot their identification will continue to be inconvenienced and police time tied up impounding vehicles for minor infractions and waiting for tow trucks instead of focusing on drivers who pose real public safety risks such as habitual traffic offenders or those driving under the influence," the city council stated in a proclamation. "I-300 actually makes it tougher for innocent lien holders to recoup their business costs for a vehicle that is impounded through no fault of their own."

On election day, 70 percent of voters rejected the initiative. Source

Pennsylvania Resurrects Plan to Toll Interstate 80 Freeway

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-09T00:57-08:00

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell (D) has not given up on his dream of adding toll booths on Interstate 80, a freeway that serves as a vital commercial link between New York and Chicago. On October 30, state officials filed an official memorandum to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reopening the application for permission to toll the 311 mile route in order to help balance the state's budget.

"Without tolls on I-80, state lawmakers and the administration would have to plug a $473 million gap in next year's budget, and that gap will steadily widen," Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Chief Executive Joe Brimmeier said in a statement.

In July 2008, the FHWA explained that the governor's plan did not appear to meet the requirements of federal law for conversion of a federal interstate into a toll road. The state's new filing with federal transportation officials included further details on the proposal, such as planned locations for electronic toll booths and an extensive financial analysis. The deal, authorized at the state level by Act 44 of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, faces an uncertain future as a number of key political players remain unconvinced that the Turnpike Commission should expand its reach to previously untolled roads.

"This is the same Turnpike Commission that has been the backdrop for several scandals and a slew of indictments," US Representative Glenn 'GT' Thompson (R-Howard) explained in a statement. "Act 44 is a cover-up of years of mismanagement of taxpayer funds and the perpetuation of an antiquated and corrupt Turnpike Commission. This is not fair to the taxpayers in Pennsylvania -- not just along the I-80 corridor, but in the commonwealth as a whole."

An opinion poll taken last year found that 63 percent of voters agreed with Thompson's assessment. A coalition of business groups, the Alliance to Stop I-80 Tolling, formed to coordinate efforts to block the tolling plan.

"There are simply better options that will generate more money with less hardship," coalition co-chairman Vince Matteo said in a statement. "The bottom line is that once gantries are up on I-80, local businesses and communities will be crippled and a harsh inflationary rise will be felt throughout the entire commonwealth economy."

A Grove City College study calculated last month that a 10 cent gas tax increase would raise $600 million at a cost of just 0.5 cents per mile for an average automobile -- far cheaper than the per-mile rate of a toll road that requires expensive overhead to operate (view study). Source

German Court Questions Laser Speed Camera Accuracy

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-08T11:53-08:00

A German court last month overturned a traffic citation after prosecutors failed to prove the accuracy of a new laser-based speed camera technology. The district court of Dillenburg heard testimony from four experts, each of whom cast doubt on the system. The Judge Matthias Gampe concluded that the motorist accused by a Poliscan automated ticketing machine of driving 96km/h (60 MPH) in a 40 (25 MPH) zone was not guilty.

Manufactured by Vitronic in Germany, the Poliscan system is mounted in tall roadside poles or in a more compact mobile version. It uses lidar to estimate a vehicle's speed across multiple lanes over a distance of 130 feet. Vitronic boasts that the ability to simultaneously track multiple, individual cars on a multilane highway gives its product a competitive advantage over conventional products that use radar or in-pavement sensors to estimate speed.

Several of the devices were installed in Mannheim in 2007. After receiving complaints about erroneous readings, the city temporarily put a hold on 19,000 citations while an outside firm created a report that confirmed the cameras were accurate. Expert witnesses testified that changing lanes or having a vehicle cross between your car and the camera could confuse the system and cause misidentification. As the court found, there is no external means of verifying that the speed estimate generated is accurate because the system does not photograph vehicles at set distances like conventional systems.

Vitronic counters the criticism by admitting the theoretical accuracy problem is irrelevant when compared to the hundreds of thousands of tickets that have been "confirmed with approvals of competent state authorities." Nestor Traffic Systems had exclusive rights to distribute the Poliscan system in the US before going bankrupt. American Traffic Solutions acquired Nestor earlier this year.

The court case number is 3 OWi 2 Js 54432/09. Source

Florida: Early Data Suggest City Traffic Cameras Ineffective

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-07T10:13-08:00

An early look at the performance of the red light cameras in Temple Terrace, Florida shows that they have done nothing to improve safety. Instead of merely repeating city claims on the topic, investigative reporters for the Tampa station WFTS ordered accident reports and checked the data for themselves. Although the program has been operational for a year, police only released enough data to produce a limited snapshot of the effect on accidents.

Over the first five months of the program, accidents decreased citywide by 13 percent compared to the same period a year earlier without cameras. At intersections with cameras, however, the number of accidents more than doubled from six to fourteen. Contrary to claims that red light cameras decrease accident severity, the average police estimate of damage costs for each accident increased by twenty percent after cameras were installed.

Although a five-month period is insufficient for drawing scientific conclusions, the early data in Temple Terrace match the seven-year performance history of photo enforcement programs in places like Virginia and the District of Columbia. Independent studies showed a significant increase in accidents and injuries following the installation of cameras (view studies).

Other aspects of the Temple Terrace program have been more successful. With 20,674 tickets issued as of September 2009, city budget documents predicted the red light cameras would generate $1 million. This represents a significant increase from the $75,000 raised by civil traffic infractions issued by police officers in the city.

Whether the city will be able to keep this revenue is another matter. In July, attorney Jack L. Townsend, Sr filed a lawsuit against Temple Terrace for allowing American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to operate a program that issues tickets for traffic violations based solely on photographic evidence. The move directly violated a 2005 ruling by the state attorney general (view ruling) that stated such ticketing was not permitted under state law.

A copy of the data obtained by WFTS is available in a 100k PDF file at the source link below. Source

Maryland Politicians, Judges, Bureaucrats Drive Toll Free

TheNewspaper Editor — 2009-11-06T00:01-08:00

Among the 15,000 Maryland state employees who drive on area toll roads without paying are judges, lawmakers and powerful bureaucrats. The Maryland Politics Watch website used a freedom of information request in August to discover that 128 of 188 legislators took advantage of a perquisite giving officials a scrutiny and bill-free E-ZPass transponder -- despite already receiving a $600 yearly travel expense allowance from taxpayers. After being exposed, the General Assembly leadership moved to limit the fallout by abruptly canceling the program on September 25.

"Currently, many members of the General Assembly have non-revenue E-ZPass accounts or E-ZPass accounts with non-revenue accommodations," Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D) and House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D) wrote. "This recession requires us to find efficiencies and reduce unnecessary spending wherever possible; therefore, we have asked the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) to terminate the non-revenue E-ZPass program for the legislative branch. Individual lawmakers will continue to be eligible to submit for reimbursement for tolls incurred on official legislative travel."

When Maryland Politics Watch informally attempted to learn the names of the politicians driving on toll roads at taxpayer expense, the MdTA initially claimed "privacy and security" concerns prevented disclosure. The agency then wrote to lawmakers informing them of the inquiry, allowing fifty-six lawmakers to cancel their accounts to avoid embarrassment before a formal request for the list of names was granted.

Authority to issue the free rides came from section 6.15 of the MdTA's contract with bond holders, a document that received little public scrutiny. The hidden provision applies to, "officials and employees of the executive, legislative and judicial departments of the state." Ambulances and other emergency vehicles also receive a special transponder that allows free passage.

Maryland Politics Watch author Adam Pagnucco slammed Democrats for taking advantage of the system.

"Delegate Ben Kramer (D-19) is a millionaire developer who has dumped $220,450 of his own money into his last two political campaigns," Pagnucco wrote. "Does he really need a free E-ZPass? [In Montgomery County] one of our Senators and thirteen of our twenty-four delegates drive toll-free, including some of our most liberal members. We get no moral high ground this time."

Pagnucco was equally harsh with the GOP.

"Fifteen of the fifty Republicans in the General Assembly carry free E-ZPasses," Pagnucco wrote. "This is the worst hypocrisy of all. Over and over again, the Republicans have called for big spending cuts while jealously guarding their E-ZPerks."

Last month, Senate Minority Leader Allan H. Kittleman (R) asked the Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert M. Bell whether the judicial branch planned to give up free rides for judges. Source