Top traffic cameras bring in $1 million PER WEEK

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the cameras because they really are a tax on stupid people. If you drive certain roads regularly, it's really easy to know the few spots where you need to slow down for about five seconds, or the one or two stop signs where you need to exaggerate your stop, and to do whatever you want everywhere else. And if you're unfamiliar with an area, just turn on Waze and it will alert you to most of the cameras. So I've never gotten a camera ticket despite speeding frequently and am grateful that DC is focused on raising revenue from stupid people rather than people like me.

Stupid people from Maryland and Virginia don't care about traffic cameras because DC can't enforce tickets issued to VA and MD drivers, so they keep speeding around the city. Speed cameras are not a deterrent for VA and MD drivers. Speed bumps are better b/c if you speed, you get automatic punishment (car damage), whether you are from VA, MD, or DC. Speed cameras are just a money-grubbing tool.

Yeah, there needs to be enforcement reciprocity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the cameras because they really are a tax on stupid people. If you drive certain roads regularly, it's really easy to know the few spots where you need to slow down for about five seconds, or the one or two stop signs where you need to exaggerate your stop, and to do whatever you want everywhere else. And if you're unfamiliar with an area, just turn on Waze and it will alert you to most of the cameras. So I've never gotten a camera ticket despite speeding frequently and am grateful that DC is focused on raising revenue from stupid people rather than people like me.

Stop doing that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is mad Democrats are raising revenue without raising taxes

seriously?

No. They're complaining that it's racist. Black people pay the vast majority of the fines, which are very expensive and can ruin people's lives. The Washington Post (and a lot of other publications) have written about this.

Black people need to be given a pass then for speeding tickets.

The fact that black drivers pay 5x the fines that white drivers do isn't suspicious to you?

Are you saying that black people are less able than white people to adhere to traffic laws?

This is mostly a function of how our cities are organized. There are more of these high-earning cameras in parts of the city that have fewer white drivers. Why? Because there are more streets where people are inclined to speed there. Predominantly white neighborhoods tend to have quieter street design; predominantly black neighborhoods have more wide, highway-like roads running through them. So there is actually some implicit bias behind these figures around who pays more fines, but it's not in the enforcement, it's in the underlying facts behind the deployment of the cameras in the first place. Unfortunately, partly because of the road design problem, black residents are also likelier than white ones to be hit and injured by speeding cars, so fixing the ticket payment inequities can also exacerbate other ones.

Well don’t let facts get in the way of your post. The cameras are placed at major commuter roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP is mad Democrats are raising revenue without raising taxes

seriously?

No. They're complaining that it's racist. Black people pay the vast majority of the fines, which are very expensive and can ruin people's lives. The Washington Post (and a lot of other publications) have written about this.

Black people need to be given a pass then for speeding tickets.

The fact that black drivers pay 5x the fines that white drivers do isn't suspicious to you?

Are you saying that black people are less able than white people to adhere to traffic laws?

This is mostly a function of how our cities are organized. There are more of these high-earning cameras in parts of the city that have fewer white drivers. Why? Because there are more streets where people are inclined to speed there. Predominantly white neighborhoods tend to have quieter street design; predominantly black neighborhoods have more wide, highway-like roads running through them. So there is actually some implicit bias behind these figures around who pays more fines, but it's not in the enforcement, it's in the underlying facts behind the deployment of the cameras in the first place. Unfortunately, partly because of the road design problem, black residents are also likelier than white ones to be hit and injured by speeding cars, so fixing the ticket payment inequities can also exacerbate other ones.

Well don’t let facts get in the way of your post. The cameras are placed at major commuter roads.

Have you ever been to DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a grand total of NINE traffic deaths caused by speeding drivers in Washington DC in 2022 (the most recent stats available from the police). You're more likely to be killed by a speeding driver than be struck by lightning, but not that much more likely.

This isn't about safety. It's about replacing all the revenue the city is losing from the collapse of downtown.

So what you are saying is that the cameras are effective in slowing people down. Sounds like a win!

Not sure they're making any difference, TBH. We've had traffic cameras for more than 20 years. The number of Washingtonians killed by speeding drivers by year:

2022 -- 9
2021 -- 12
2020 -- 15
2019 -- 10
2018 -- 9
2017 -- 12
2016 -- 8
2015 -- 11
2014 -- 12
2013 -- 11
2012 -- 5
2011 -- 15
2010 -- 8

we've spent a massive amount of money, time and energy on traffic safety measures and it's hard to tell what difference any of it has made.

Your numbers are foolish. Here are the actual numbers of traffic deaths in DC.

Year

2004: 45
2005: 49
2006: 43
2007: 54
2008: 39
2009: 33
2010: 25
2011: 32
2012: 19
2013: 29
2014: 26
2015: 26
2016: 28
2017: 30
2018: 36
2019: 27
2020: 37
2021: 40
2022: 35
2023: 52
https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/traffic-data

Your argument (such as it is) is also foolish. Normal people look at the numbers of deaths and say, Wow, this is bad, we need to do more.

The cameras have been around for many years, and I'm not seeing anything in this data that shows that they're having an impact on traffic deaths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the cameras because they really are a tax on stupid people. If you drive certain roads regularly, it's really easy to know the few spots where you need to slow down for about five seconds, or the one or two stop signs where you need to exaggerate your stop, and to do whatever you want everywhere else. And if you're unfamiliar with an area, just turn on Waze and it will alert you to most of the cameras. So I've never gotten a camera ticket despite speeding frequently and am grateful that DC is focused on raising revenue from stupid people rather than people like me.

Stupid people from Maryland and Virginia don't care about traffic cameras because DC can't enforce tickets issued to VA and MD drivers, so they keep speeding around the city. Speed cameras are not a deterrent for VA and MD drivers. Speed bumps are better b/c if you speed, you get automatic punishment (car damage), whether you are from VA, MD, or DC. Speed cameras are just a money-grubbing tool.

None of the main cameras are in locations where speed bumps are allowed. All the big money makers are near the regional highways and are glorified commuter taxes.

You can place speed bumps on major roads or even highways. In DC, speed cameras are not about safety but the money.

"Highway speed bumps can also be used on other roads and city streets where pedestrians and vehicles interact more . . . Traffic data by the Federal Highway Administration shows that speed bumps and rumble-strip significantly reduce collisions between vehicles and pedestrians."

https://www.sinoconcept.co.uk/purchasing-guid...ypes-of-speed-bumps/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there evidence that traffic cameras have made DC safer? Obviously, people slow down when there's cameras. But the flip side is that people drive worse when they know we've turned traffic enforcement over to the cameras and, if you're on a street with no cameras (which is most of them), you can do anything you want. How do we know those two things net out to something better than when we didn't have cameras and motorists had to worry about cops pulling them over?

Yes, there is evidence that traffic cameras make streets safer. There's no asterisk for *except in DC.

Here's the number of people in DC killed by speeding drivers in past dozen years. Kindly point out to us where traffic cameras started making a difference.

2022 -- 9
2021 -- 12
2020 -- 15
2019 -- 10
2018 -- 9
2017 -- 12
2016 -- 8
2015 -- 11
2014 -- 12
2013 -- 11
2012 -- 5
2011 -- 15
2010 -- 8

Note: the higher numbers cited in another post include ALL traffic deaths, which include people killed by drunk and stoned drivers, pedestrians stepping in front of buses, motorists having heart attacks, etc. Obviously traffic cameras can't possibly do anything about those.

[Anonymous]

I’m middle class, I drive the SL so I don’t pay this stupidity tax. And enforcing speed limits IS about safety.

Drive the SL OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m middle class, I drive the SL so I don’t pay this stupidity tax. And enforcing speed limits IS about safety.

Drive the SL OP.

The problem is that speed cameras don't enforce speed limits, especially if you are a VA or MD driver. On the contrary, speed bumps actually enforce speed limits.

[Anonymous]

No one has made a good argument for not having both.

Happy to get a bit of cash out of some of the speeders and stop sign runners, BTW, regardless of their race or where they live or whether other speeders and stop sign runners get away with it.

Stop on red and don’t speed. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there evidence that traffic cameras have made DC safer? Obviously, people slow down when there's cameras. But the flip side is that people drive worse when they know we've turned traffic enforcement over to the cameras and, if you're on a street with no cameras (which is most of them), you can do anything you want. How do we know those two things net out to something better than when we didn't have cameras and motorists had to worry about cops pulling them over?

Yes, there is evidence that traffic cameras make streets safer. There's no asterisk for *except in DC.

Here's the number of people in DC killed by speeding drivers in past dozen years. Kindly point out to us where traffic cameras started making a difference.

2022 -- 9
2021 -- 12
2020 -- 15
2019 -- 10
2018 -- 9
2017 -- 12
2016 -- 8
2015 -- 11
2014 -- 12
2013 -- 11
2012 -- 5
2011 -- 15
2010 -- 8

Note: the higher numbers cited in another post include ALL traffic deaths, which include people killed by drunk and stoned drivers, pedestrians stepping in front of buses, motorists having heart attacks, etc. Obviously traffic cameras can't possibly do anything about those.

Oh yes, you're the person who persistently tries to peddle the claim that the only traffic deaths related to speed are the ones where the police classified the fatal crash as speeding-related.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m middle class, I drive the SL so I don’t pay this stupidity tax. And enforcing speed limits IS about safety.

Drive the SL OP.

The problem is that speed cameras don't enforce speed limits, especially if you are a VA or MD driver. On the contrary, speed bumps actually enforce speed limits.

What a great argument for speed-camera reciprocity.

-Maryland resident

[Anonymous]

I think the problem with trust is caused by the city being sneaky and lowering speed limits on roads that we have been driving on for years and then ticketing for going 36 mph on Wisconsin Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best example I can think of that speed cameras actually work is Connecticut Ave in Kensington. South of downtown there are I think 4 cameras and rarely does someone go above 45 mph. Occasionally you’ll get a car speeding up and slowing down by the camera but the reality is they are so close it’s not really worth it. (For what it’s worth I’ve also never seen or heard of any camera related crashes due to these sudden stops.) Put enough cameras and there’s no reason to speed between them.

North of downtown there are no cameras (because the speed limit is 40 mph in the first section) and it’s a raceway. I’ve tried to travel the speed limit and you’re getting passed aggressively. The prevailing speed is about 50 mph during the times of day I drive there.

Similarly, the county just did a speed study on a section of Veirs Mill and something like 11% of cars were in violation meaning 12 mph over the limit—the average speed was 52 mph in a 35. The max speed recorded was 94! I’d love to see the study repeated after cameras.

Similar in the stretch of CT Ave just north of Ch Ch Circle. Cameras keep the wary under 30 mph. Once north of Bradley and no cameras? Boom!

Nah, longtimers like me just speed from camera to camera.

All that speeding up and then slamming on the brakes. Hilarious to watch. 😆

Whatever. I do get there faster than the cranberry-colored 2007 Prius with a Hillary! bumper sticker, every time. It adds up over a year.

I do probably replace my brake pads more frequently than the average person, it’s true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is how progressive Democrats raise taxes on poor and middle class people. By pretending that's it's all about safety.

https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/08/01/speed-traffic-camera-tickets-potomac-river-freeway

Progressive Democrats?