In this week’s TheNewspaper.com Roundup!
–Former Redflex Chief Sentenced
–The Texas Tolling Experience
–Vista, CA dumps RLCs
Friday, October 21, 2016
French Lawmaker Seek To Re-Ban Facebook Speed Camera Warnings
A French politician wants to make it a crime to comment on Facebook about the location of speed cameras. In a written question last week to the Interior Minister, Senator Jean-Pierre Grand, who also serves as mayor of Castelnau-Le-Lez, asked what could be done to overturn September’s high court decision clearing fourteen motorists who had faced criminal charges after they posted negative memes about speed cameras on Facebook and revealed camera locations.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Former Redflex Chief Sentenced To 14 Months In Prison
Karen L. Finley will spend at least fourteen months behind bars for her role in a red-light camera corruption scheme. That was the sentence handed down on Wednesday by US District Judge Michael H. Watson for the former head of US operations for Redflex Traffic Systems. Finley admitted she conspired to pay bribes to elected officials in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio at the request of Redflex lobbyist John P. Raphael, who began serving his fifteen-month prison sentence in August.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Report Reviews Texas Tolling Experience
Transportation officials around the country have embraced the concept of turning congestion into a source of revenue. Texas in particular was an early leader in congestion taxes, with tolls collected on ten major highways and five more projects in the works. A new Texas A and M Transportation Institute report reviews the state’s experience over the past twenty years, describing the purpose of tolling as a method of manipulating behavior.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Vista, California Dumps Red-Light Cameras
Many California cities that experimented with red-light cameras have experienced regret. Last week, Vista became the latest municipality to terminate its contract with Redflex Traffic Systems of Australia, the embattled camera operator. By a vote of 3 to 2, the council agreed to take the cameras down at the end of the year.
France, Italy, Russia: Speed Cameras Disabled
Vigilantes in Kazan, Russia smashed a speed camera last week Sunday. According to Efir 24, officials have not yet identified the person responsible for the attack, though they found two teenagers who happened to be nearby.
