Speed camera

[Hoggins]

All the small towns in NE Iowa went crazy with these and are completely unnecessary. Glad the DOT turned off the cameras. Find another way to fund your town of 2,000 people

 

[KidSilverhair]

All the small towns in NE Iowa went crazy with these and are completely unnecessary. Glad the DOT turned off the cameras. Find another way to fund your town of 2,000 people

Yeah, places like Strawberry Point and Chester looked at these things with dollar bills in their eyes. When you have the speed limit drop from 55 to 25 instantly, and now you don’t need to pay a police officer to sit there and write tickets, it’s free money.

(I used to drive through Chester fairly often when I lived in Minnesota, I don’t remember if the speed limit went directly from 55 to 25, but it was something like that)

 

[3TrueFans]

Yeah, places like Strawberry Point and Chester looked at these things with dollar bills in their eyes. When you have the speed limit drop from 55 to 25 instantly, and now you don’t need to pay a police officer to sit there and write tickets, it’s free money.

(I used to drive through Chester fairly often when I lived in Minnesota, I don’t remember if the speed limit went directly from 55 to 25, but it was something like that)

55 to 45 to 30 according to google maps.

 

[KidSilverhair]

55 to 45 to 30 according to google maps.

But they’re really close together, if I remember it right. Of course, actual physical evidence will probably show my memory is faulty, that’s just the way my faulty memory works

EDIT: I just went to look. Not as close together as I remember. That’s what happens after 35 years, I guess

 

[Clonehomer]

All the small towns in NE Iowa went crazy with these and are completely unnecessary. Glad the DOT turned off the cameras. Find another way to fund your town of 2,000 people

Now they can have a police officer write tickets based on how they feel that day rather than an objective standard that the cameras had. If I were these towns, I’d have officers write tickets at 5 over the limit to make a point.

 

[Sigmapolis]

My wife has been tagged by the one here (the 42nd St. bridge) probably ten times...



I've shown her where the cameras are. You know where they are. I've shown you how to program the cruise control on your Tucson to 65/60. Don't go up to 70 and you should be okay but...

Sigh.

Wives are amazing sometimes.

 

[Clonehomer]

My wife has been tagged by the one here (the 42nd St. bridge) probably ten times...

View attachment 135391

I've shown her where the cameras are. You know where they are. I've shown you how to program the cruise control on your Tucson to 65/60. Don't go up to 70 and you should be okay but...

Sigh.

Wives are amazing sometimes.

Tell her to stop letting her boyfriend drive the car.

 

[Sigmapolis]

Tell her to stop letting her boyfriend drive the car.

Now who's gettin' kinky...

 

[VeloClone]

That brings up what at least I believe is an interesting aspect of these as clearly the CR ones that most people hate are on 380. If the city is not allowed to enforce the laws in a manner they see fit on a road going through their city does that mean it falls solely on the ISP? If accidents happen due to high speed and other bad driving behaviors that put a strain on other city resources (Fire/EMS) where does the line get drawn?

The CR ones on 380 are at places where speed has been a danger in the past. Further, this area is dangerous if not impossible for LEOs to safely execute a traffic stop without endangering themselves or other motorists. I don't like the premise of the cameras and there absolutely is a financial aspect to them but every instance is not equal.

I assume you are talking about the curve on 380? There is no requirement for law enforcement to immediately pull over a speeder. They can and often do follow a speeder for a mile or so and then turn on the lights. Frankly, if they are going that fast they will travel a ways before they both get pulled over anyway.

 

[VeloClone]

Yes, because these cameras were all about safety....Like the one on 235 that has been working for the last decade and there has been zero proof that it's saved one life. We've been down this road before, most are not intended to save lives, they are there to make money and the DOT called them out on it. I trust the DOT's judgement more than jimmy bob mayor in S Town Iowa

But seriously how do you prove that a fatality was prevented? How do you prove that something prevented something else from not happening? If fatalities are down that is a start but proving a negative is a high bar to expect.

 

[VeloClone]

Unless you're driving huge distances the difference between arriving while driving 73 versus 85+ is like 3 minutes. Most of which gets pissed away the moment you get off at your exit ramp and hit a red light.

This part is not correct. Getting to a light a couple of seconds earlier could actually get you a green light rather than a red. Getting to an intersection earlier isn't automatically a sure red light and losing any time gains. Traffic lights are frankly a crap shoot.

 

[cycloner29]

So how many of these cameras in DSM are just set up not for speeding, but just at intersections? Our daughter got hit with a ticket a while back for turning right on a red light.

 

[wxman1]

So how many of these cameras in DSM are just set up not for speeding, but just at intersections? Our daughter got hit with a ticket a while back for turning right on a red light.

I can't speak for the DSM ones but at least in CR the ones at intersections (well the ones that are left at intersections at least) are both red light and speed cameras.

 

[Rabbuk]

This part is not correct. Getting to a light a couple of seconds earlier could actually get you a green light rather than a red. Getting to an intersection earlier isn't automatically a sure red light and losing any time gains. Traffic lights are frankly a crap shoot.

I feel like probability is that the cross traffic light is longer than the off ramp light I'd guess more often than not you're hitting reds if you do it over a large number of times.

 

[Clonehomer]

I assume you are talking about the curve on 380? There is no requirement for law enforcement to immediately pull over a speeder. They can and often do follow a speeder for a mile or so and then turn on the lights. Frankly, if they are going that fast they will travel a ways before they both get pulled over anyway.

But how do you safely check speeds on those curves? There’s no where to park.

What if they had radar detectors and cameras at those same spots, but had officers positioned to enforce them down the road rather than a 3rd party mailing tickets? Would that be more tolerable for people?

 

[VeloClone]

But how do you safely check speeds on those curves? There’s no where to park.

What if they had radar detectors and cameras at those same spots, but had officers positioned to enforce them down the road rather than a 3rd party mailing tickets? Would that be more tolerable for people?

It is my understanding that the change in speed limit doesn't happen ON the curve but actually before. That is where you check speed. Just because an LEO clocks them at the start of the curve doesn't mean they have to pull them over there. They can select a safe spot a mile or two down the road or on the ramp if the speeder tries to exit.

For the record, I'm not a big fan of the cameras but I don't have a lot of heartache about them. I speed. I know if I speed there are consequences. I accept the consequences.

 

[Clonehomer]

It is my understanding that the change in speed limit doesn't happen ON the curve but actually before. That is where you check speed. Just because an LEO clocks them at the start of the curve doesn't mean they have to pull them over there. They can select a safe spot a mile or two down the road or on the ramp if the speeder tries to exit.

Southbound, there isn’t much room to safely position a vehicle to clock speeds after the 55 mph change. Maybe you could perch an officer on the overhead sign that the cameras are mounted on? But that still seems to present more danger than necessary when a camera is available.

 

[VeloClone]

I feel like probability is that the cross traffic light is longer than the off ramp light I'd guess more often than not you're hitting reds if you do it over a large number of times.

I'm confused. I assume the 73 vs. 85+ comparison was on a freeway. Any gains you made on the freeway by going faster are locked in. You said you would likely lose them as soon as you hit a ramp getting off the freeway. You still have those gains even if you are forced to go 45 with traffic lights after getting off the freeway. I assume you will be forced to go 45 with lights whether you previously were going 73 or 85+. Traffic lights don't care how fast you were going 5 minutes ago, they are timed the same regardless of your speed history.

 

[3TrueFans]

I'm confused. I assume the 73 vs. 85+ comparison was on a freeway. Any gains you made on the freeway by going faster are locked in. You said you would likely lose them as soon as you hit a ramp getting off the freeway. You still have those gains even if you are forced to go 45 with traffic lights after getting off the freeway. I assume you will be forced to go 45 with lights whether you previously were going 73 or 85+. Traffic lights don't care how fast you were going 5 minutes ago, they are timed the same regardless of your speed history.

Why can’t I go 75 in town? Money grab by police, that’s why.

 

[Rabbuk]

I'm confused. I assume the 73 vs. 85+ comparison was on a freeway. Any gains you made on the freeway by going faster are locked in. You said you would likely lose them as soon as you hit a ramp getting off the freeway. You still have those gains even if you are forced to go 45 with traffic lights after getting off the freeway. I assume you will be forced to go 45 with lights whether you previously were going 73 or 85+. Traffic lights don't care how fast you were going 5 minutes ago, they are timed the same regardless of your speed history.

They're a choke point a person stopped at a light is going 0 and the person going 73 is still going 73 and catching up to speeder