[Scan-DC] VSP video cameras on car

Wed Mar 25 09:33:09 EDT 2009

the red light cameras work by taking 2 pictures AFTER the light turns red:  one showing the car prior to entering the intersection while the camera is red, and one with the car actually in the intersection while the light is red.  One photo will indicate date, time, place and the amount of time the light was yellow before turning red.  The other photo will indicate how long the light was red before the car entered the intersection as well as the speed of the car.

they generally will not trigger if the car is moving below a certain speed.

check this report out starting on page 14 from Fairfax County PD.  It is a little bit old since the program is not active in Fairfax County right now but the system details dont change.  The program is being reactivated since it was recently reauthorized by the Gen Assembly.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/inside-fcpd/pdf/annualreport2003.pdf

the text in the photos is obscured, but they are good examples.  I will try to find others.

> From: w4jecom at w4je.com
> To: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:51:35 -0400
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] VSP video cameras on car
> 
> Is there a "grace period" after the light turns from yellow to red, before
> the traffic cameras snap a picture of a red-light runner? Or does the camera
> take a picture of any car entering the intersection at the very instant the
> light turns red? It seems to me that I have entered an intersection with a
> camera a millisecond after the light turns red and have not been ticketed.
> (I don't make a habit of doing this, but one time I was behind a truck and
> couldn't see that the light was turning until it was too late for me to stop
> safely.)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:scan-dc-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Larry Sampas
> Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 8:22 AM
> To: scan-dc at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] VSP video cameras on car
> 
> 
> There are national standards, and cities have been found guilty of
> violating them:
> http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/04/red_light_cameras_yello
> w_light.php
> (among many, many posts across the intertubes)
> 
> Localities are increasingly turning to automated fine-collection as a
> means to increase revenue in a down economy. The local politicians get
> credit for avoiding tax increases and cracking down on "criminals."
> For a few dollars in campaign contributions to help steer contracts,
> companies putting these systems together get a practically guaranteed
> revenue stream. The police have better things to do than write tickets
> but don't want to see their budgets cut.
> 
> It's win-win for everyone except us. In a few years, all traffic
> enforcement could be privatized. If you think that's far-fetched,
> think about HOT lanes under construction now.
> 
> There's far fewer watchdogs at the state, county and municipal levels
> than at the federal.
> 
> On the other hand, using automated license plate recognition software
> to catch stolen cars will reduce auto insurance rates for all of us.
> 
> On Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 8:04 AM, Sheldon Daitch <sdaitch at kuw.ibb.gov> wrote:
> > David,
> >
> > I understand it being a city standard, but I would
> > also think it should be a national standard, based on the
> > criteria I mentioned in the earlier post.  And if there are
> > standards, they should be accessible to the public for
> > review.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Sheldon
> >
> >
> >
> > cohenner at gmail.com wrote:
> >> There is a yellow light standard. Here in Baltimore, when the red light
> cameras were first introduced, there was a court case that was filed because
> people stated the yellow light times had been changed to be shorter, thus
> creating more inventory for the city. I believe the city said at the time
> that yellow lights had to be maintained, at a minimum, for 3 seconds. Of
> course, that varies based on the findings of the traffic survey done prior
> to putting up the lights. If conditions warrant, the length of a yellow
> light can be extended as necessary.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> David
> >>
> >>
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