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, November 19, 2014
California Court of Appeal Upholds Anti-Camera Initiative
California’s second-highest court rejected the attempt of a for-profit company to interfere with the right of voters to decide whether photo enforcement can be used in Murrieta. A three-judge panel went further on Tuesday and ruled that Stephen Flynn, the agent of American Traffic Solutions (ATS), must pay the court costs of Diana Serafin, the organizer of a November 2012 referendum that won 57 percent of the vote to bring the cameras down.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Nevada: Federal Judge Finds Cop Caused Traffic Infraction
A federal judge earlier this month found that a motorist should not have been held to blame because a police officer’s aggressive driving forced him to move out of the way. US District Court Judge Larry R. Hicks viewed the dashcam video of Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Lee’s traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Reno on July 11, 2011 and did not like what he saw.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Australian Autobahn Pilot Project Proves Successful
Driving the barren roads of Northern Territory, Australia is faster and safer than ever. In February, the Country Liberal Party government fulfilled a campaign promise by creating a one-year trial restoration of speed limit-free roads on a 126 mile stretch of highway between Alice Springs and Barrow Creek. Officials deemed the test so successful — there were no speed-related crashes — that they recently extended the limit-free zone to a total of 171 miles, adding a section south of the Ali Curung Rail Overpass.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
France, UK: Traffic Cameras Torched And Spraypainted
In Flintshire, Wales, vigilantes set fire to the speed camera on the A5104 in Coed Talon Wednesday morning, the North East Wales News reported. The device was the county’s second most profitable camera.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Redflex May Leave The Photo Ticketing Business
Ongoing fraud investigations and vanishing profits sparked a revolt at the annual shareholder meeting of Redflex Traffic Systems in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia on Thursday. Investors voted against the re-election of Michael McConnell to the red-light camera firm’s board of directors, rejected the company’s executive bonus and payment plan and voted down a planned stock award to newly appointed CEO Paul Clark. Clark suggested Redflex may leave the photo ticketing business entirely.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Florida: Traffic Camera Firms Beset By Lawsuits
A series of decisions by Florida’s second-highest court last month has thrown red-light camera programs in the state into a state of disarray. Several jurisdictions, including Palm Beach County and Juno Beach, have suspended issuing tickets after the Court of Appeals ruled that the contracts between cities and counties and for-profit vendors such as American Traffic Solutions (ATS) violate the law.
