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, October 31, 2012
New Jersey: Traffic Camera Companies Join to Fight Class Action
Redflex Traffic Systems and American Traffic Solutions (ATS) have been bitter enemies in the courtroom, spending millions in an attempt to use the law to gain a competitive advantage against one another. They are now looking to team up to defend against eleven class action lawsuits seeking refunds for red light camera tickets issued to New Jersey vehicle owners. The firms joined to ask a federal judge to combine the cases next week. The parties suing ATS and the city of Linden instead want US District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to send the case back to state court.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Canada: Group Blasts Hidden School Zone Signs
Drivers in Winnipeg, Canada are being lured into speed traps by hidden or missing school zone and speed limit warning signs. The activist group Wise Up Winnipeg held a press conference yesterday to announce the conclusion of their review that found half of the legally required signs are not visible.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Massachusetts Supreme Court Clears Driver Who Hit Homeless Man
A Massachusetts driver who struck and killed a homeless man on Christmas Eve, 2009 was cleared of felony charges Friday by the state’s highest court. Paul M. Daley, 61, was driving his Toyota Tundra pickup truck on Robertson Street in Quincy. At some point, Daley struck and killed Paul Moore, 63, whose body was found behind a snowbank the next day. An autopsy revealed Moore, who had been staying at the Pine Street Inn homeless shelter in Boston, had a blood alcohol level of 0.25.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Germany: Speed Camera Fails to Protect Itself From Accident
In Swisttal-Heimerzheim, Germany at around 10:45pm on Saturday, October 20, a speed camera on the L182 between Bornheim and Swisttal-Heimerzheim failed to protect itself from a collision. A 43-year-old man hit the automated ticketing machine, ripping it out of the ground. Bonn police were unable to determine the cause of the accident, according to the department’s news release.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Louisiana: Traffic Camera Company Sues Client Over Cash
The sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana petitioned a federal judge last week for more time to answer the charges leveled by a red light camera company. Redflex Traffic Systems in August had filed suit demanding Sheriff Newell Normand hand the Australian firm a check for $8 million.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Voters in Three States Take on Traffic Cameras
The issue of red light cameras and speed cameras is heating up at the ballot box. Residents of five cities in California, Texas and Washington state have battled for the right to have a say in whether automated ticketing machines are installed in their community. The November 6 results could raise to 25 the total number of municipalities nationwide that prohibit cameras. The most hotly contested race this cycle has been in Murrieta, California where city council members gathered for a press conference on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to preserve the program.
