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, June 12, 2013
Missouri Appeals Court Strikes Down Red-Light Camera Ordinance
Missouri’s second-highest court on Tuesday ruled the St. Louis municipal ordinance authorizing the use of red-light cameras is invalid. St. Louis adopted the photo ticketing ordinance in 2005, without the permission of the state legislature. The measure presumes the owner of the vehicle is always the person driving it, which allows the city to prosecute the owner through the mail with penalties of up to $500 and ninety days in jail.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Australia: Report Finds Need For Speed Camera Transparency
Speed camera data is being kept too hidden, according to a report released last month by the the New South Wales, Australia Legislative Assembly. The findings came as the Public Accounts Committee reviewed a number of 2011 performance audits, including the examination of speed cameras to verify whether the auditor’s recommendations have been implemented.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Ohio: Mother-Daughter Speed Trap Team Face The Judge
A mother and daughter team that ripped off motorists in the speed trap town of Arlington Heights, Ohio will now be spending time together behind bars. Donna Covert, the former clerk of the village mayor’s court, and her daughter, Laura Jarvis, the deputy clerk, were indicted last July on five felony counts of theft and records tampering. Covert appeared last week before Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Melba D. Marsh to plead for mercy. The judge was unsympathetic.
Friday, June 07, 2013
Sugar Land, Texas Rejects Red-Light Camera Vote
The city council in Sugar Land, Texas does not want voters to have a say in whether red-light cameras are used in the Houston suburb. Although more than 3000 residents signed a petition requesting the issue be placed on the November ballot, and the city secretary verified a sufficient number met the legal requirement, the council voted Tuesday to reject the petition.
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Iowa City Council Votes To Ban Traffic Cameras And Drones
Rather than allow residents of Iowa City, Iowa to decide whether to impose a permanent ban on red-light cameras, speed cameras and drones, the city council unanimously decided Tuesday to exercise the option of directly adopting the proposed initiative with some modification. This marks the first time that a city council with a strong pro-camera majority has repealed an automated ticketing ordinance in response to a public petition.
