If you visit Arizona

Crosley.In.AZ · October 30, 2008, 08:11:04 AM

The new speed photo radar cameras are going up in many places.

The mobile photo radar units are deployed in multiple spots. There are already a few incidents with these mobile units. One employee was caught driving drunk in the mobile photo radar unit... another was caught sleeping in the front seat as the SUV was deployed for photo speed enforcement.

About 180.00 fine for speeding caught on camera... no points on the driving record though.. hmmm?

A license plate frame that covers the top of the plate where the state name is located : like " Arizona" is on the top of our plates ... 140.00 fine

58 Yeoman · October 30, 2008, 09:04:11 AM

Illinois has outlawed license plate covers altogether....

river1 · October 30, 2008, 12:32:00 PM

Quote from: "Crosley"The new speed photo radar cameras are going up in many places.

http://www.azphotoradar.com/

map of photoradar locations

later jim

phat rat · October 30, 2008, 02:47:28 PM

Looking at the map it appears to be a Phoenix area only problem. Is that assumption correct? Or do I have to be alert for them wherever I'm at in Az.?

Crosley.In.AZ · October 30, 2008, 03:13:09 PM

Quote from: "phat rat"Looking at the map it appears to be a Phoenix area only problem. Is that assumption correct? Or do I have to be alert for them wherever I'm at in Az.?

this is a pure revenue generating system the governor has forced into place.

the units on the map listed... are stationary.

there are mobile units too. We are told there will be 40 mobile units state wide. The mobile units use radar, so a quality radar dectector picks these mobile units up.. BUT , it is a weak signal!

I've been in contact with some elected officials explaining my dislike for these cameras... thier responses are humorous in most ways. Finger pointing each way

On my motorcycle I can ride between the sensors in the ground of the stationary radar photo cameras

wayne petty · October 30, 2008, 03:59:03 PM

wow.....

the courts in british columbia were deluged with these tickets when it was installed a decade ago... 700,000 speeding tickets..

sounds like it is time for my motorized radar reflector... spins at high speed... has a right angled boxes on a backwards spinning pinwheel mounted under the front bumper or as a hood ornament... so the get you for going 150+ on the radar... they will think their unit is out of whack...

some chaff dispensers... air powered...

fog lights on either side of the front plate... turned on ..

i have always wanted to put a big emp rig on the bottom of my car...

so when i drive across the inductive sensors... it overpowers them and burns out the sensor electronics... since it is a winding in the pavement... and it looks at the magnetic field of the car as it passes over...

putting out a massive reversing magnetic field.. it should really fry their stuff...

the best idea... is to tail gate the speeding car in front of you so the camera cannot get a shot at the front plate..

or.... to set up your gps to display your speed... and not speed at all...

i was on a boating supplys site and they have gps speedometers... that fit a conventional hole..

fix them by not paying the piper...

river1 · October 30, 2008, 04:04:18 PM

Quote from: "phat rat"Looking at the map it appears to be a Phoenix area only problem. Is that assumption correct? Or do I have to be alert for them wherever I'm at in Az.?

the stationary units are a phoenix problem, for now, they will spread state wide. the mobile units are state wide now. they flash on you if you are going 11 miles over posted limits. the pain are the folks who are already going the limit, or just under, but when they see the units practically lock their brakes to slow down. GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

i think the elected officials don't care because it brings money in. if say a grassroots movement by out of towners were to start and say they won't vacation here because of the cameras it might (ya right) help. the state makes A LOT more money off the tourists then they will ever make from camera tickets.

later jim

38HAULR · October 30, 2008, 05:09:08 PM

Looks all too familiar to us Aussies. In my state. Victoria. The Gummint calls them "road safety cameras'. Mobile units are placed at various locations. The earlier versions had the flashlight box placed on the ground in front of the vehicle,that was parked on the side of the road or off the road on the grass nature strip[between road and footpath]. Now they have flashless units all totally vehicle mounted. The other versions are on overpasses on freeways [fixed], and at red light cameras at intersections. You cop a double whammy here, these double as speed and red light cameras . For speeding ,we are metric. for example the common speed limit in built up areas is 60Kph.[38mph approx]. Although speedos are known to have a tolerance by Aust Design rules ,the enforcement people claim that they are fair and allow "tolerances ". It is not uncommon to get a ticket in the mail listing 'detected speed ' then their adjustments for camera tolerance etc giving you an alleged speed of 63KPH ,loss of a demerit point on licence,and $125 fine[will be more now as fines are indexed yearly,and my last was around 7 or 8 yrs ago].This fine is up to 10kph over the limit. Different exceeding limit blocks have increased penalties. One freeway camera system[100kph[62mph] zone] was closed down for almost a year, after a young woman in a Datsun 120y was clocked at some ridiculous speed of over 160 KPH,She fought the system,the vehicle was tested by various bodies and found not to be capable of the speed detected,after public outcry,it was found that the calibration/maintenance system on the cameras was flawed, resulting in refunds and embarrassment for the gummint.......Frank.

Carnut · October 30, 2008, 06:57:55 PM

So, get ahold of two identical Mini Coopers, soup up one to the extreme so it can clock some ungodly time on the cameras, then transfer the tag to the stock Mini, take to court and demonstrate impossibility of clocked speed.
Get the system shut down.

Repeat process until camera system is out of buisness.

Harry · October 31, 2008, 10:57:01 PM

The photo radars in British Columbia are long gone. The province spent millions on the vans and equipment. I don't know what became of them. There is a spray coating that you can put on your license plate that reflects the light of their flash. They can't read the plate. It works.

dave boley · November 01, 2008, 02:37:43 PM

I assume these cameras get only the front plates. If so what do they do about vehicles from states that omly run a back plate? Just curoius...

38HAULR · November 01, 2008, 05:37:13 PM

Ours grab either plate . It was reported yesterday in the media,that our state police have actually reduced the amount of patrol time &bookings ,the gummint relies more on the camera system,it is cheaper. The top traffic cop defends this by stating that "getting an infringement in the mail is a timely reminder to drive safely". What he is not telling us,is,that in reality many of those getting tickets at the low end, would not be booked by a patrol car. It goes like this,if you are being followed by a patrol car marked or unmarked, you get booked for your sustained behaviour,not a momentary stray over the limit as part of your constant speed check and adjustment driving regime. Because the camera takes a "snapshot" at a given point,it has no discretion. You may very well have been under the limit 100 mtrs before the camera,and 100 metres after. It is like a lottery ,the Gummint rakes in the dollars. I use this logic at the low end of course. I fully support the red light cameras,and the use of the fixed/mobile cameras to nail blatant dangerous speedsters,these are the people who endanger us all. The North south freeway to the New South Wales border has fixed cameras that actually record point to point speed , If your average was over you get a penalty notice.I have no probs with this,as it is a fairer way to ,and actually covers the point I made about driving,and constantly adjusting speed,unless you have cruise control.........Frank.

enjenjo · November 01, 2008, 05:58:44 PM

QuoteI fully support the red light cameras,and the use of the fixed/mobile cameras to nail blatant dangerous speedsters,these are the people who endanger us all.

I don't. when they installed red light cameras here in Toledo, they shortened the yellow lights at those intersections. If you are driving the speed limit, from the time the yellow comes on, until it turns red, you can't stop in time, if you are approaching the intersection. So if there is a good chance they will get a car on most red light cycles.

Other places they time the yellow lights, and only install cameras where they will catch the most cars.

Also, at the intersections where the cameras are installed, there are slightly less accidents from red light running, but more than twice as many accidents from being hit in the rear.

There is a bill in the Ohio house to outlaw red light, and speed cameras. The big cities are fighting it.

Crosley.In.AZ · November 01, 2008, 07:01:33 PM

Ditto with enjenjo.. One or two cities here pulled some crap with red light cameras...

In Snottsdale AZ , they had a software glitch that nailed hundreds of drivers that did NOTHING WRONG .... most folks paid the fines. The ones who questioned the red light ticket recieved in the mail ... charges were dropped if that ticket fell into the time frame where the problem was at..

IF you did not question the red light ticket , the ticket & fine remained. Yet, the city was able to deliver the bogus ticket to the registered car owner, BUT the city would not notify the same car owner of the glitch and call them into correct this!

that is pure BS!

38HAULR · November 02, 2008, 04:10:55 PM

Our red light cameras, activate some 4 seconds after the actual light change to red. This helps ,with the rear ending issue. Given the amber light cycle that precedes the red on approaching an intersection, you have plenty of time to slow and safely stop.The cameras are obvious on their pedestals ,and the approaches have warning signs,these cameras double as a speed camera ,so we should be backing off approaching an intersection,camera or not, as a matter of caution,an intersection is by default a high risk zone for collision.. About 2 mths ago I was doing a turn at an intersection with feeder green arrows activating to allow both directions to do turns. Some Klutz sitting at the red for the straight ahead traffic,not concentrating takes off almost collecting me ,and abusing me for turning in front of him.I just smiled and pointed to the camera,it was around 6.50Am and the idiot would have been totally brain dead to not have noticed the flash lightly illuminating the intersection . $145 AUD fine & Loss of 3 demerit points[we are allowed 12 in a 12 mth period before automatic 3 mth licence suspension,or double jeopardy. You can choose to keep the licence,but any offence in the next 12mths results in loss for 6 months]........Frank.