TheNewspaper.com Roundup: April 29, 2015


Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015
New York: E-ZPass Used To Spy On Motorists
Motorists who use E-ZPass are being tracked on streets that are not tolled. The New York Civil Liberties Union revealed the program last week after receiving documents from New York City, New York’s transportation department describing the $5 million federally funded surveillance program.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Florida Town Sues Red-Light Camera Vendor
Getting out of a red-light camera contract can be difficult. Officials in Brooksville, Florida found this to be the case after a looming voter revolt encouraged the city council to scale back the automated ticketing program. Even though a local judge’s intervention to block a citizen-led referendum on the cameras, the city last week decided that it had to file a lawsuit against Sensys, a Swedish-controlled camera vendor, to bring automated ticketing to an end.

Monday, April 27, 2015
France, Latvia, Italy, UK: Speed Cameras Under Attack
In Lot-et-Garonne, France, vigilantes disabled a speed camera on Tuesday. According to Sud Ouest, the automated ticketing machine on the D933 in Seyches had its lenses spraypainted red and the word “uno” painted on the side. Police have no idea who might be responsible. In Carcassonne, L’Independant reports that over the past few days green spraypaint was used to disable the speed cameras at Place Davilla and Avenue General-Leclerc along with the red light camera on Boulevard Omer-Sarraut.

Friday, April 24, 2015
Tennessee Legislature Scales Back Future Speed Cameras
Fewer speed cameras will be installed in the future in Tennessee under rules adopted by the General Assembly on Wednesday. Defenders of automated ticketing in the chamber struck a compromise with opponents that would guarantee continued use of red light cameras and “manned” photo radar vans. The only change that the proposed law makes is that cities will not be allowed to renew contracts after July 1 for fixed speed cameras unless they are in school zones. The bill also carves out an exception for the highly profitable Hixon Pike “S curves” in the city of Chattanooga.

Thursday, April 23, 2015
Illinois, Texas Advance Illusory Red-Light Camera Bans
Sixteen states ban photo enforcement, but Illinois and Texas are not likely to join the list this year. Although measures that passed the Illinois House and Texas Senate yesterday are being advertised as “bans” on red-light cameras, in practice they would do little to curb automated ticketing if they become law.

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