FC: Denver judge says yep, photo radar program is bad news

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

---

From: "Diamond, Richard" <Richard.Diamond () mail house gov>
Subject: Denver photo radar ban upheld on appeal
Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 10:39:02 -0400

I. A District Court judge has rejected the City of Denver's appeal to a 
County Judge Mary Celeste's finding that Denver's photo radar program was 
illegal.

II. In the UK, hundreds of photo radar cameras will be removed because they 
were placed in locations where there is no safety problem, but high revenue 
potential (sound familiar?)  Of course, this doesn't mean they'll refund 
any of the 600,000 tickets issued in the past 12 months, nor do they 
forecast any decline in tickets -- they actually hope to reach 3 million 
annual citations by 2004.

III. In South Australia, cameras haven't reduced traffic fatalities at all, 
but apparently the mobile speed camera cars are themselves quite a safety 
hazard.

Details on the items above appear below:

Richard Diamond
Office of the Majority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives
202-225-6007 / www.freedom.gov

I. DENVER

Judge Celeste's original ruling:
<http://www.freedom.gov/auto/cases/denver.pdf>http://www.freedom.gov/auto/cases/denver.pdf 
(3mb PDF format)

 Associated Press. May 21, 2002, Tuesday, BC cycle

DENVER -- A District Court judge has dismissed the city's appeal of a 
county court's ruling that declared Denver's photo-radar program illegal.

District Judge Joseph Meyer said in a ruling issued Friday that the city 
can only appeal county court rulings dismissing traffic tickets when a 
statute is declared unconstitutional or unenforceable. Assistant City 
Attorney Scott Johnson said the city hasn't decided whether to appeal 
Meyer's ruling.

Denver suspended photo radar after County Judge Mary Celeste ruled in 
January that it was illegal because tickets were not issued by police. A 
private contractor prepared and sent the summonses.
[...]

---

II. THE UK
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
DAILY MAIL (London) May 21, 2002
RAY MASSEY, HUNDREDS OF SPEED CAMERAS TO BE SCAPPED

HUNDREDS of hidden speed cameras are to be ripped out in a victory for 
motorists and fair play.

In future they must be installed only at accident blackspots, not where 
they can trap the most drivers.

Police will be banned from hiding them behind trees, hedges, lamp-posts and 
road signs. There must also be clear advance warning, giving drivers time 
to slow down. The new Government guidelines are a sharp change of policy. 
It has been prompted by recognition that badly-sited or deliberately hidden 
speed traps are undermining support for the 'cash for cameras' safety scheme.

This lets police keep some of the fines produced by installing extra 
cameras, which are supposed to be painted yellow and easy to see.

But some police forces have failed to stick to the rules, triggering 
mounting fury among drivers who are paying GBP 25million a year in speeding 
fines - double the level of five years ago.
[...]

---

III. SOUTH AUSTRALIA

<http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/>http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/

Fatalities so far this year: 50. Fatalities to the same time last year: 
50.  I.e., no reduction in fatalities, despite their camera program.  The 
speed camera cars themselves, however, appear to be quite a safety hazard, 
causing three separate accidents in one day:

The Advertiser
May 20, 2002, Monday
Speed-camera car hit
A SPEED-camera car sustained panel damage when it was sideswiped by a 
Volkswagen beetle in Eastwood last night. The red Holden commodore sedan 
was parked on the northern side of Glen Osmond Rd when the beetle hit its 
rear driver's side about 9.50pm.

The light-coloured beetle did not stop. The male occupant of the commodore 
was not injured.

Two other speed-camera cars were involved in minor accidents yesterday - 
one outside the Festival Centre in the city, and one at the intersection of 
Payneham Rd and Fullarton Rd, Norwood.





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