September 5, 2001

9:13 AM

Judge Dismisses 300 Tickets Spawned by Red-Light Cameras.
"Judge Ronald Styn of San Diego County Superior Court said the camera evidence was inadmissible..." Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this Halcyon's dad? Have you ever gotten a dreaded red-light camera ticket? Did you get out of it? Better question: Have you ever had to appear before Halcyon's dad?
posted by Hankins (18 comments total)

How many people even know who 'halcyon' is?
posted by delmoi at 9:25 AM on September 5, 2001

I do. So that's at least one... and if you do any statistical extrapolation, then I could represent, sheesh, at least two others.
posted by silusGROK at 9:29 AM on September 5, 2001

Yep, it's Halcyon's (and Kaya's) dad. Halcyon wrote about it a few weeks ago.
posted by MeetMegan at 10:07 AM on September 5, 2001

Please don't ever link to FOX News again. Some of us are trying to ignore their existence, and things like this make it hard.
posted by Hildago at 10:22 AM on September 5, 2001

Fox News is the most compelling, as its stories are 100% accurate and not tainted with any sort of bias.
posted by Hankins at 10:32 AM on September 5, 2001

You forgot your <sarcasm> tags, Hankins.
posted by owen at 10:55 AM on September 5, 2001

Red light tickets, timed properly, can be beneficial in many places. However, there are other places where they can be a hinderance. As city drivers know, there can be instances where you cross a newly-changed green light, but get tangled up in the junction somehow.. and 30 seconds later, you could be getting snapped by a camera.

However, on the whole, these cameras are reasonably welcome. It's those freaking speed cameras posted within 10 yards of the limit change that should be destroyed!
posted by wackybrit at 11:13 AM on September 5, 2001

Fox News is biased?

So, what isn't? The Clinton News Network?
posted by hadashi at 11:28 AM on September 5, 2001

How long will it be a Bush whitehouse before we can all stop hearing that so-tired Rush-ism?

In other news: the San Diego case has been much in the news in DC lately, as we've recently gotten our own red-light cameras here that are causing some stir, with actual speeding cameras hot on their heels. This development is sure to be a boon to those on the side of the debate that prefer to be ticketed by flesh-and-blood cops.

(and I had made the San Diego-Styn connection myself and wondered... that's pretty cool.)
posted by Sapphireblue at 2:32 PM on September 5, 2001

I agree with the ruling -- primarily because the fact that the company gets paid per ticket is sketchy. Having a private company operate the cameras is one thing, but having their income based upon the number of allegedly light-running license plates photographed just has too much potential for corruption.

But something definitely needs to be done about the twits who fly through solidly red lights.
posted by realityblurred at 2:40 PM on September 5, 2001

living in san diego, they put these things in the WORST possible intersections, to the point of it almost being entrapment.
for example, at the bottom of a very long/steep hill, where you have a split second to decide between slamming on the breaks and screeching to a halt (possibally in the middle of the intersection), or going through the yellow light. in that situation it's obviously better to go through the yellow.. i wouldn't be suprised if some of these things actually CAUSED accidents.
posted by afx114 at 3:05 PM on September 5, 2001

"As city drivers know, there can be instances where you cross a newly-changed green light, but get tangled up in the junction somehow.. and 30 seconds later, you could be getting snapped by a camera."

Sorry, but if you can't get out of the intersection, don't get into it.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled topic.
posted by frykitty at 4:57 PM on September 5, 2001

As city drivers know, there can be instances where you cross a newly-changed green light, but get tangled up in the junction somehow.. and 30 seconds later, you could be getting snapped by a camera.

Whatever happened to not blocking an intersection if you know you won't fit? When I was drivers' ed, they taught us that you're supposed to watch ahead to avoid these things..
posted by valerie at 10:59 PM on September 5, 2001

As everyone knows, green means go, red means stop, and yellow means speed the fuck up.

Except that lately, red means "the people who aren't in the intersection before you do not have right of way".
posted by dhartung at 11:33 PM on September 5, 2001

valerie, frykitty: Even if you are looking ahead and being generally courteous, you do run into the problem of other drivers being chaotic and not following suit. People stop short for no apparent reason. People feel that they need to leave a full car length between vehicles even when at a standstill. People decide that they would much rather be in your lane instead and zip right in front of you in mid-intersection.

They're all moderately uncommon events, to be sure; I very rarely find myself stranded in an intersection as the lights change. But I don't think it's as black-and-white an issue as you're making it out to be.
posted by youhas at 12:35 AM on September 6, 2001

You also have to remember that getting stuck on an intersection in the US is much less likely than in the UK where the road systems of most of our towns and cities were designed when the biggest thing likely to be seen on them was an ox-cart.
posted by Markb at 1:50 AM on September 6, 2001

Markb is right. I guess you have not driven on UK roads. Junctions are quite often based on weird corners and layouts, and you can't even see your exit. Driving around Lincoln today, I noted several different obscured junctions that I could have got snarled up in, had the traffic been heavier.

You also get situations where you're into the junction, and someone a few cars ahead indicates suddenly, and decides to turn into a (blocked) side road. This then stops all traffic, and blocks the junction.

If only we could smash the towns down and have a cute NYC grid layout..
posted by wackybrit at 10:16 AM on September 6, 2001

If only we could smash the towns down and have a cute NYC grid layout.

No.
posted by holloway at 4:45 PM on April 14, 2002