Article 1st
http://www.gazette.net/stories/10152009/prinnew145409_32526.shtml (http://www.gazette.net/stories/10152009/prinnew145409_32526.shtml)
Not that I spend much time in PG, so the direct impact to me is minimal at best. But that's a heap of cameras.. which chafes my 'I don't like Big Brother' side. But it seems the areas planned for the cameras will be school zones, which does make some sense to me. I've seen plenty of instances where people go flying through active school zones at well above posted, and this area's had it's issued with school kids getting hit - So the 'punish the stupid jackasses' side of me sort of agrees...
Terribly conflicted... Either way, PG is getting a lot more speed cameras in the next couple years
wait till the revenue figures come out -> Council members have already said they want power to expand where they can place cameras in the future, and several have seen the devices as a potential source of revenue.
you'll see them popping up everywhere as long as the funds get to things the municipalities need and people won't scream so much about their taxes being raised to pay for the things that speed camera revenue covers the bill for....
Montgomery county is off the chain as well. I don't like driving through there unless I am on the bike. [laugh]
all traffic enforcement these days is revenue generation.
if they really wanted you to stop speeding/running lights, it would be 3 days in jail, first offense.
FYI TomTom sells map add-ons with red-light camera locations indicated....
Yeah - the whole school zone thing is a red herring - it was just politically easier to claim it's "for the children" rather than "we (and the company running the cameras) will make a boat load of money".
Quote from: ducatiz on November 04, 2009, 09:59:43 AM
all traffic enforcement these days is revenue generation.
if they really wanted you to stop speeding/running lights, it would be 3 days in jail, first offense.
FYI TomTom sells map add-ons with red-light camera locations indicated....
iPhones have a free app with cameras and likely trap locations as well. Not sure how good it really is.. but it's free.
Quote from: yuu on November 05, 2009, 05:14:21 AM
iPhones have a free app with cameras and likely trap locations as well. Not sure how good it really is.. but it's free.
i prefer the TomTom variety because it's already mounted in my car -- just leave it on and it DING DING DINGS when you are approaching one (even if you don't have a route programmed).
http://www.trapster.com/ (http://www.trapster.com/)
My sister uses it and its worked well.
Quote from: rgramjet on November 30, 2009, 02:59:45 AM
http://www.trapster.com/ (http://www.trapster.com/)
My sister uses it and its worked well.
They have an iPhone app too. A little clunky, but free.
I just traded my S4Rs for a 1967 Honda CL90; now I don't have to worry about the speed cameras [leo] ANY MORE!!! [moto]
Quote from: Tocino on November 05, 2009, 05:10:33 AM
Yeah - the whole school zone thing is a red herring - it was just politically easier to claim it's "for the children" rather than "we (and the company running the cameras) will make a boat load of money".
Thats the same herring Montgomery County used to prohibit boat, jet-ski, utility trailers and large commercial vehicles from being parked overnight on residential streets.
Saving "the children" one law at a time..... [roll]
Quote from: rgramjet on December 03, 2009, 12:14:30 PM
Thats the same herring Montgomery County used to prohibit boat, jet-ski, utility trailers and large commercial vehicles from being parked overnight on residential streets.
Saving "the children" one law at a time..... [roll]
build a dummy Suburban out of plywood and park the jet ski inside it.
Like a 2D silouette of a Suburban/Jetski made from 1/2" Birch plywood?? You might be on to something!!
Quote from: ducatiz on December 03, 2009, 03:48:37 PM
build a dummy Suburban out of plywood and park the jet ski inside it.
I saw build a large wooden child and hide a bunch of speed cameras and jet skis in it and roll it up to the State Capitol, and then when they allow it in...
i use trapster on the iPhone, the software was just updated and much better now. It works much like the TomTom for alerts, you can also log your route (just a switch to turn on) so family and friends(or you can save it, like when you find some awesome roads and can't remember where or how you got there) if you grant them access. I took a trip to SC last year, and it saved my bro and i a few times.
Speed Camera.....simply a revenue maker. Why?
Because if i am speeding, and get a photo with a bill in the mail, how did this keep the children safe? I don't get a ticket in the mail for a week or two?
Here is an idea, take ALL of our LEOs on the HWYs (i am talking radar traps and such) and place them in neighborhoods and school zones at all times. Wouldn't that keep the children safe? Doesn't most crime happen in residential areas? What is a speed camera going to do when a house is robbed, or a child is abducted? The presence of a camera does nothing for the School Free Drug Zones....oops i got it backwards. This goes for the workzone speed cameras also.
Oh, and Red light cameras, yeah they are stopping lots of folks from running red lights.
Generating revenue is not saving lives. Putting officers on patrol in needed areas do save lives, and does stop/slow crime.
and for God's Sake please get the police off the HWYs during rush hour, people want to get to work or home, and we don't need an officer sitting in a patrol car on the side of the road so every idiot can do a brake check, slow-down and look-see traffic is f'ed enough.
BTW, while i was tying this trapster just alerted me that a radar trap is operational 5 miles from my desk! I bet tomtom can't do that.
Sorry for the rant
Been trying to avoid ranting here and will continue to do so....I hate these cameras and what they represent (corporate, for profit "policing" etc.).
I've got one photo ticket on the moto. I've been thinking about relocating my plate way up under the tail so the cameras can't see it. Would I get hassled?
Quote from: angler on December 04, 2009, 06:19:46 AM
Been trying to avoid ranting here and will continue to do so....I hate these cameras and what they represent (corporate, for profit "policing" etc.).
I've got one photo ticket on the moto. I've been thinking about relocating my plate way up under the tail so the cameras can't see it. Would I get hassled?
look up the rules for the plate and what other folks are doing.
iirc, the plate should be visible from "the rear" which generally means at eye level from a regular vehicle within a car's length away.
if the camera is above that line of sight, tough shit.
Quote from: ducatiz on December 04, 2009, 06:35:28 AM
look up the rules for the plate and what other folks are doing.
iirc, the plate should be visible from "the rear" which generally means at eye level from a regular vehicle within a car's length away.
if the camera is above that line of sight, tough shit.
That's pretty much my reasoning and cops in my neck of the woods rarely hassle for stuff like this. I've seen them mounted that way and they are perfectly visible to a LEO in a car.
When I drive my truck, I often drive with my tailgate down for the same reason - the plate can't be seen by a camera.
Quote from: angler on December 04, 2009, 06:39:05 AM
When I drive my truck, I often drive with my tailgate down for the same reason - the plate can't be seen by a camera.
[laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] i do the same thing with my truck!!
Good idea - I'm mounting a tailgate on my Monster!
Quote from: Tocino on December 06, 2009, 04:53:16 AM
Good idea - I'm mounting a tailgate on my Monster!
doesn't that give your bike more ba-donka-donk that most can handle??
Quote from: zooom on December 06, 2009, 05:26:20 AM
doesn't that give your bike more ba-donka-donk that most can handle??
Hell yeah! (Whatever that is)
Quote from: ducatiz on December 04, 2009, 06:35:28 AM
look up the rules for the plate and what other folks are doing.
iirc, the plate should be visible from "the rear" which generally means at eye level from a regular vehicle within a car's length away.
if the camera is above that line of sight, tough shit.
This may be a place where the beer tray can help you.
Quote from: mstevens on December 07, 2009, 07:34:54 AM
This may be a place where the beer tray can help you.
i doubt it, as the tag sits right at the end of the tray.
I have mine mounted vertically off the swingarm, before MD got the new smaller tag like the other 49 states had, you could only see half the numbers. I did get pulled over twice, both in the morning, and in rush hour traffic. Both times i was let off with a verbal warning. Now that the smaller tags are out, you can actually see enough of the numbers and letters to make out what they are. I am in no way saying this is legal, but most Baltimore police(state trooper, city and county) don't bother me about it. I also haven't gotten any tickets from red light cameras, not that i can recall if i have been caught by them. I keep meaning to make my way to NY ave, to the speed camera to see if it can detect the tag, as the camera is on the right, and my tag is vertical on the left....and if i am wrong, well, i owe DC $50 for speeding. Some boy racers use these cameras to document how fast their car can go, for $50 you get a certification, no points and pictures no matter the speed....not a bad deal of you ask me.
(http://photos3.pix.ie/ED/D8/EDD8B0537184490C972608DE38AA65BB.jpg)
Quote from: RB on December 07, 2009, 09:33:57 AM
i doubt it, as the tag sits right at the end of the tray.
Usually not. Most of the license relocators that don't require an actual frame cut work the same as the TPO one on my old 620:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_keb9Kczo6oU/Smed1H7I9nI/AAAAAAAAGzw/GhvIPmJmHrI/s400/IMG_2468.JPG)
They're usually little brackets that use the same bolt holes as the stock giant Christmas tree. This has the effect of pulling the plate forward so it's somewhat under the beer tray, which helps make it more difficult to see from above. I was trying to take a picture of my old license plate and found when I stood behind the bike I couldn't get a clear image unless I got quite far behind and zoomed or if I ducked down.
A little perfectly-understandable road schmutz on the lower half of the plate combined with partial obscuration of the upper half by the beer tray and the poor camera might not get a usable image.
I have to say I'm surprised I can't read the license on my photo above since nothing's been done to obscure it in the image. I guess they're hard to read when you're not directly behind.
Quote from: mstevens on December 07, 2009, 09:44:38 AM
Usually not. Most of the license relocators that don't require an actual frame cut work the same as the TPO one on my old 620:
I was unaware there are tag relocators that do not require a tail-chop.
The catch phrase seems to be 'fender eliminator' There's a number of companies that make them, but they would be pretty easy to knock out on your own.
Quote from: yuu on December 07, 2009, 10:36:55 AMThere's a number of companies that make them, but they would be pretty easy to knock out on your own.
Bent piece of metal with a few holes in it. Actually beyond my fabrication abilities, but anyone of normal mechanical aptitude should be able to make one.
I'm not into big brother stuff but if there is one place that needs some speed control it's PG County. I have a Federal client over in Suitland and I gotta tell you once you cross over the Wilson bridge you would think the beltway and the local roads were a race track, cars, motorcycles, SUVs all haulin a** , I'm no saint myself but it is out of control. - Gene
I made one of those mudflap eliminators for my old Monster streetbike years ago and had it in a way that it was lit and visable to a car, but the camera's....HAHHAHAHAA...had no tailchop and a regular old beertray and all was good...little smattering of chain lube that accidentally (wink wink) ended up on my plate to attract debris which ended up getting me questioned by a LEO when he couldn't exactly quickly read my plate...but apon inspection, he saw it was just road grime and just commented I should clean my tag sometime and nothing more was said...which was amazing since I had shaved my MD bigass tag down to the shape of any other tag in the US at the time.