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, August 01, 2012
North Carolina: Another Red Light Camera Program Falls
Red light cameras are becoming scarce in North Carolina. On Thursday the town of Cary’s operations committee will consider becoming the next jurisdiction to pull the plug on automated ticketing machines, leaving just three photo enforcement programs in the state.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
ACLU Investigates License Plate Readers
Police departments around the country have been compiling databases on the travels of innocent motorists. The tracking is made possible by automated license plate reader technology (ALPR, also known as ANPR in Europe), the deployment of which is backed by funding from federal gas tax dollars appropriated without any public debate or oversight.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Florida Appeals Court Sides with Red Light Cameras
The Florida Court of Appeals has split on the photo enforcement question. Earlier this month, the Fifth District ruled implementation of red light cameras prior to the 2010 legislative approval was illegal (view opinion). In late November, the Third District upheld the use of automated ticketing machines (view ruling). The Fourth District weighed in on Wednesday, siding with the private, for-profit firms that issue tickets on behalf of municipalities.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Australia, Italy: Speed Cameras Attacked
Vigilantes in Cittadella, Italy, blinded a speed camera that was stationed between the SR 47 Valsugana and the SR 53 Postumia. The lenses of the device were smashed, preventing it from issuing citations until the device was repaired, Il Mattino di Padova reported.
Friday, July 27, 2012
2002 Colorado Supreme Court Case First to Question Photo Ticketing
After more than a decade, questions on the constitutionality of red light cameras and speed cameras remain far from settled. Courts in Missouri are currently wrestling with the question of whether it is lawful for cities to use red light cameras even though they are not authorized under state law (view case). Likewise, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday ordered attorneys to transmit copies of briefs as part of what the high court labeled a “high-profile appeal” of a decision that found camera tickets issued prior to legislative approval were illegal (view case). In 2002, Colorado’s highest court ruled on a similar question.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
New Jersey Rubber Stamps Red Light Camera Timing
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) yesterday gave the go-ahead to cities and private vendors to reactivate their red light camera programs. The devices were shut down a month ago after twenty-one cities caught ignoring a provision of state law requiring the yellow signal timing at camera intersections to be certified based on a statutory formula.
