Red Light Cameras Miami-Dade&Broward Counties

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

They are all over down here [and more coming on line as each week passes] as it's a giant cash cow...A company called Traffic Solutions is putting them in...There were legal issues with these cameras but the governor signed off to make everything nice and legal.

I am 100% totally against these cameras...I know alot of people here will think they are awesome but I do not...As you are approching the red light [with the herd of cars all around you] the light changes to amber to red...If you throw the brakes on as the light is changing you will be rear ended...More so if you are coming down a hill...Which has happened to alot of people already...If you have a large truck behind you it might just end up in your back seat...The problem is alot of people have been getting tickets as they are passing under the amber light in those situations...Also alot of people here were given a ticket for making a right turn on red [which is legal here] as the camera picked them up as violators...Also if you pull up into a intersection and are trying to make a left hand turn and can't go till the light changes back to red you will get a ticket...A friend got a ticket for that and is now asking for a hearing.

The fine is 158 bucks [no points] and it goes to the registered owner of the car...If the owner was not driving the car at the time he will have to prove it.

The traffic lights are pretty much timed so you get each one red...What is strange is you will see no traffic around as the light is green [as the herd of cars is held up at the previous traffic light] so as the herd of cars reach the next traffic light all of a sudden it changes red...I am almost glad when I get to a busy intersection and the light is already red so I do not have to worry about a camera taking my picture.

 

[Johnny]

Yep, big brother is watching you. I'm still trying to figure out how we survived the 50's and 60's without the aid of our officials.

 

[Dave Hess]

I was listening to 'Bubba The Love Sponge' on 93.1 FM a few months ago and a person called in saying that many cities are now shortening the time the yellow light stays on so they can catch more people running red lights with traffic cams. They also talked about the people making a legal right hand turn at a red light, but get a ticket in their mailbox.

Some places like Aventura make a ton of money with all the traffic cams they have in their small city.

Sure it costs money to buy/install these cams, but in the long run they are gonna making a ton of CA$H. With many cities not being able to raise taxes, they are bringing in revenue via traffic tickets.

 

[mikered30]

www.trapster.com has an interactive map of RLCs, speed traps, etc if anyone wants to know where they are located.

 

[SrDriver]

There are some covers that block them & a spray that you spray on the tag.

 

[Trajan]

Such a camera would of been usefull the night a schmuck ran one and totaled my Camaro.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Quote:
As you are approching the red light [with the herd of cars all around you] the light changes to amber to red...If you throw the brakes on as the light is changing you will be rear ended


Any time you're not paying attention and are forced to "throw the brakes on" you're risking an accident. A good driver anticipates a stale green light and knows to begin slowing before it turns yellow, avoiding your "throw the brakes on" scenario. There are also other clues that you can use to know when a green light is stale-traffic buildup, don’t walk signs, etc.

Quote:
If you have a large truck behind you it might just end up in your back seat


Not if you practice defensive driving and don’t get caught in a situation where you have to “throw the brakes on”.

Quote:
with the herd of cars all around you


One of the hallmarks of good drivers is the ability to stay out of dog packs. Manage the space around you, and keep out of the pack as often as possible.

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The problem is alot of people have been getting tickets as they are passing under the amber light in those situations


Clearly a lot of people exhibit poor driving skills. If they still offer it, Liberty Mutual has an excellent defensive driving course. It’ll teach you how to drive defensively, and you won’t be forced to “throw the brakes on” at every traffic signal. By improving your driving skills you’ll also have less wear and tear on your vehicles, like longer lasting brakes because you’re not forced to “throw the brakes on” so often.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
A good driver anticipates a stale green light and knows to begin slowing before it turns yellow, avoiding your "throw the brakes on" scenario. There are also other clues that you can use to know when a green light is stale-traffic buildup, don’t walk signs, etc.


It's a lot easier to anticipate a stale green if the signal is programmed in a somewhat sane manner.

If the people who programmed the signal didn't know what the [censored] they were doing, and that's what it sounds like in Miami, good luck figuring out when that light is going to change. I doubt the people who programmed it would have much of a clue, let alone the motorist.

 

[01rangerxl]

The red light cameras were tried out years ago in many cities in NC. It never caught on. The companies operating the cameras got most of the revenue, and many tickets were issued to the wrong people due to poor image quality.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
I am 100% totally against these cameras...

Me too!
It just encourages the city to keep timing the lights so you hit almost all of them red.

 

[brianl703]

I don't think the cities actually time the lights so you hit almost all of them red. That's just what happens when they don't have a signal timing plan.

Here, we have several lights within a 2-mile stretch and I actually have hit all of them red on several occasions.

I know for a fact that the city didn't time them that way because they're almost all operating on demand mode at all hours of the day and I'm not sure the public works director or any of her subordinates really understand the concept of a timing plan.

What's really annoying is a traffic signal operating on demand mode that changes instantly for a car on the side street making a right turn (because the signal does not sense any traffic on the main street--the sensors may only be 50' from the intersection) and by the time the main street traffic comes to a stop, that right-turning car is long gone.

A similar issue happens when there's a car turning left and the signal changes instantly for the same reasons, and again the left-turning car sometimes doesn't even have to stop because the oncoming traffic is far enough away, but again the light changes instantly and again the traffic has to stop for a car that's long passed through the intersection.

There are solutions to this problem. A 5-second delay on the detection would be one, and in fact I've seen some traffic signals around here that do seem to have a delay, although I sincerely doubt the people currently in charge of them could tell you why it has one.

 

[Eddie]

In Cape Coral FL. we encourage red light running with extra long yellow lights and have NO cameras anywhere. City councils wonders why Lee County is one of the 10 worst. O-Yes we have reactive police. No were to be found until after an accident then 4-6 on the spot. ha ha

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
I don't think the cities actually time the lights so you hit almost all of them red. That's just what happens when they don't have a signal timing plan.




Probably, but with the number of dirt-bag jurisdictions that have shortened the length of the yellow light when cameras were installed, I wouldn't completely rule that out.

Some states specify a minimum yellow light time based on the speed limit, or 85th percentile of actual traffic speed.

http://www.highwayrobbery.net/

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

Such a camera would of been usefull the night a schmuck ran one and totaled my Camaro.


+1. As with a lot of things, it isn't the technology, it is how it is utilized that ires most.

 

[Dave Hess]

For those who have never had the pleasure of driving in south FL....

let me tell you its very similar to the Daytona 500 with only 2 laps to go till the end of the race.

CrownVic,
They estimate a large intersection like Kendall Drive & US-1 will easily bring in over a million dollars a year in fines.

 

[Benzadmiral]

We had and have them here -- still operational in the city itself, but they've been disabled due to legal challenges out in Jefferson Parish. I know where they are, and my technique is as follows: If the light ahead is a "stale" green, I pull into a parking lot or over onto the shoulder until the light goes yellow. Then I pull back out and cruise up to the light, which is now red, and wait until it changes. This way I don't take any chances.

Of course if the predators, I mean the officials, in your area have stuck them up at almost every intersection, this won't work.

 

[Jim_Beverlin]

100% agree! I lived in the Ft Lauderdale suburbs for 5 years back in the middle 80's and can only imagine what a nightmare it must be now. You truly learned the art of defensive driving down there. Kind of survival of the fittest.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
I don't think the cities actually time the lights so you hit almost all of them red. That's just what happens when they don't have a signal timing plan.

I'm not so sure. I've counted many times over the years (in my city) on different routes, and I keep getting an average of about 7 of 8 red. That is when I am on main 4 lane arteries.
That seems to be a statistical impossibility that they are random.

 

[SteveSRT8]

we have them here too.

They are easily confounded by a few coats of high gloss clear on your plate. It causes a glare when the flash goes off!

 

[kb01]

I guess I'm in the minority but these cameras have no impact on me. I can count the number of times I've run read lights during my entire driving career on both hands. I have no one to blame for those infractions but myself. If I were ticketed for those incidents (due to my own negligence/lack of attention), I would have accepted responsibility for my actions, paid the fines and drove on.