6 Cities That Were Caught Shortening Yellow Light Times For Profit

What turkeys, this is good to know. They essentially made it impossible to avoid being fined if you caught the yellow light wrong since many of these drivers would not have had enough time to stop.

If a few of these cities were really interested in safety they would have left the cameras up at the intersection where accidents were reduced. A few of them took them down due to profitability alone.

Wheel,

What a great seed. For once, useful information provided to NV readers. I am amazed that you haven't had 100 or more hits. But, I guess if you don't have politics in the seed then it won't be read.

I can't believe (oh, I guess I can) that cities would do this for financial reasons, the hell with safety eh?

Well, that's depressing and infuriating. Great seed, thanks!

The Mississippi legislature just defeated a proposal to have the cameras installed. In a state that could really use the revenues these gadgets always produce, seeing principle triumph over cash was a fine thing to watch.

Yes Virginia, there are a few places left where the voice of the people can still make a difference. Now all we have to do is watch the company that sells the contraptions so it can't do an end run around the legislature and get them installed anyway. After all, they do have good old Haley Barbour running things there. He never met a corporate ripoff he didn't like.

It's gotten to the point where some people have actively started vandalizing these cameras. Some examples are here and here. Then there is this company (commercial site), which wants to sell you a high gloss coating to make your license plate impossible to read by the flash camera. And this organization nicely summarizes why these things suck.

For a view of how the camera companies sell their product, look here. The lines that stood out to me from this site that look particularly creepy are these:

Optional configuration to measure "Speed on Green."

System can also be used to measure speed during the green and amber signal phase to catch drivers who speed through the intersection, or who speed up during the amber phase to make it though the intersection.

Public safety, my pet goat!! But if you do agree with them, to back you up, there's this campaign, that wants to spread these things everywhere. Notice that there isn't any concern about civil liberties, corrosive effects of automated enforcement vs. human enforcement, exceptional circumstances, or other valid concerns. The rise of the nanny state in America continues.....

people will claim they arent for revenue, they are to make people safer, but once they start to generate revenue, that's exactly how they will be used.

Many more city is doing it, Glendale,AZ. where they have camera the cross walk light do not blink fourteen time before the light turn red. Cross walker lights was a warning to alert you to the light would be turning red, but without blinking it has allow the city to collect more money from red lights ticket. The red lights and speeding ticket camera should be out law, you are receiving a ticket that is unfair to the city cheating on how they operated the light, profit I guess is not a dirty word.

Oh, they're sold as revenue producers. The pitch is "just look how much money we can make ripping these people off." The company that was trying to sell Mississippi on it is in Arizona. Mississippi would split the take 50/50 with them. It so has nothing to do with public safety it's not even funny. Now, there's nothing wrong with honestly acquired revenue. This doesn't qualify.

That incredible shortening of the caution light intervals for instance. What kind of a scummy individual would do something that is guaranteed to cause more accidents for money?

Money always outshouts principle. Well, almost always.

truth!

Profiteering jerks.

In Charlotte NC, the cameras were installed by none other than LOCKHEED. The revenue generated by them was split 50/50 with the city. Fishy? Criminal me thinks.

it shouldn't surprise us govt cheats....its probably the biggest cheater of all

Hi to everyone. I'm writing from Italy. In my Country that problem is very big. The revenues of violations goes to local goverments. In many cases local judges must stopped local polices: the time of yellow lights were only 2-3 seconds: all for increase the revenues of local goverments, that in my Country has few money to makes its work. But now, the problem is that all local judges could do the same thing...

Every time I see this headline, I feel the need to bake a pie.

I'm surprised that Nashville is on the list as being caught.

You would think if they were "caught" that they would have actually done something about it - yet, there is a new light near where I work, and the yellow light lasts about 2.5 seconds.

damn! Those bastards! Anything for a buck these days. It is even starting to spread to local governments. What a slick way to milk money out of people.

Governments have been in this type of scam for a long time in many forms.

In Texas in the not so distant past the state government eventually passed a law placing a cap on the percent of local government revenue that can come from traffic violations. The reason was speed traps created to capture non-locals to generate most of and in some cases all of a small town's revenue. These would involve placing a speed limit sign just behind a tree or around a sharp corner then tag people right behind it for speeding. If you took it to court it was the local court where the justice of the peace is part of the scam and got a kickback.

Fast forward 40 years and we have the new version of the same scam.

I was on my bicycle (finally!) today, and it occurred to me that shortened yellow lights could be very hazardous for a cyclist entering a busy multi-lane intersection even on a green light. One more thing to worry about, as if motorists rolling through stop signs and people taking left turns while on cell phone weren't enough. And yes, I'm a careful, considerate, non-agressive but assertive cyclist who follows the rules of the road, while keeping in mind the car always wins.

if you read the news on GASB 45, which requires state and local governments to estimate and put on their books the liabilities they have for unfunded retiree promises, you will see that most state and local governments are bankrupt and desperate for cash....

Yellow Lights are mandated to be 3.8 SECONDS, no less.

Comment # 22 links to the newest story of Seattle, where they claim 3.5 seconds.

Anything less than 3.8 is a crime, but you have to prove it to the the Court.

It's just like stealing money, whether a good cause or not, it's still stealing!

As you all are becoming aware, it's not for SAFETY, It's the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.