eh, they will probably just use the red-light cameras to hassle bicyclists .
Dean Zimmermann Minneapolis City Council Member/Ward 6 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace/Shalom/Salaam ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 9:31 AM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Red Light Cameras > Becker wrote: > > > Jim Bernstein wrote: > > > > > >>I strongly second Chris's position! The analysis done by the Weekly > >>Standard is quite an eye opener! If Minneapolis is going to adopt this > >>strategy, we need to make sure that the red-light camera scam being used > >>in other cities is not repeated in Minneapolis! > > > > > > It should be noted that the "Weekly Standard" is an ultra-conservative right > > wing newspaper known for its biased pseudo-journalism. It is owned by > > Rupert Murdoch and is perceived to be one of the leading neo-conservative > > papers, well read by the Bush administration. It does not support itself > > through its own revenues but are funded by Murdoch as an outlet for the > > neo-conservative movement rhetoric. It was one of the major outlets for the > > untruths about the Clinton administration made up by the Arkansas Project > > along with the "American Spectator" and other neo-conservative > > "pseudo-newspapers". > > > > > That may well be, Carol, but smearing the article without reading and > understanding it simply based on this is hogwash. And I'm a > bleeding-heart liberal. > > I read the article. I know a lot about engineering, traffic safety and > related issues as it has been my vocation and/or avocation for 25 years. > The article easily passes the "smell test." It is not a biased, > distorted rant. It is, in fact, one of the better pieces of > investigative journalism I have read recently. > > Moreover, I happen to have had conversations with a number of the > plaintiffs in the San Diego case, where a class actino lawsuit resulted > in a judge throwing out the use of red-light cameras completely -- so > not only do I know that portion of the multi-part story to be accurate, > but it is solid evidence that other claims made in the story are > likewise correct. > > The plain facts are these: > > 1. No government entity mentioned in the article, from San Diego to > Washington, D.C., has fairly, ethically and most important CORRECTLY > used red-light cameras to improve safety. It's plain obvious when > red-light cameras are NOT installed in the top 10 intersections with the > most intersection incursion accidents, but are installed at other locations. > > 2. The correct way to improve intersection safety is to use proper > traffic engineering. In many cases, this means lengthening the yellow > light times, yet in case after case, yellow lights were shortened > specifically in order to INCREASE the number of people caught on camera > running the red lights and the resultant revenue for both the private > company supplying the equipment and the sponsoring government entity. > Doing so also reduces safety. > > 3. The priviate companies providing the equipment also provide contract > services to issue the tickets. To do that, they gain unlimited access > to the state's motor vehicle registration data (names, addresses, cost > of automobiles, etc. etc.), yet have no apparent policies or programs in > place to maintain citizens privacy. The same companies also arbitrarily > rule in or rule out giving tickets to people caught on camera, a > situation ripe for abuse and error. > > Now I am as angry about people running red lights and stop signs as the > next guy, and I am equally annoyed at right-wing media like Rupert > Murdoch's empire pretending to be actual journalists instead of the > propoganda pieces they are, but this series of articles stands on it own > as accurate reporting. It correlates well with everything I know about > the situation. Lastly, the series takes the Big Corporations who > sponsor these red light programs to task, and you can bet your bottom > dollar that these Big Corporations are big Republican supporters. So it > seems abundantly clear to me that the articles are both accurate, and > that it matters not one whit that they were published in the Weekly > Standard. > > > Chris Johnson - Fulton > > REMINDERS: > 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
