[MissoulaGov] MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 35, Issue 9 - Red Light Cameras

[Geoff Badenoch]

Jonathon,

 

I am not 100% perfect on following all the rules of the road but I try to
drive and bike safely. Like you, I have often gone through the same split
second calculations with respect to signalized intersections.  The burden
the state places on every motorist--from which there is no relief--is to
operate a motor vehicle in a safe and prudent manner.  You are right, I
think, in your observation late in your post that if you have to slam on
your brakes, you are probably going too fast.  When I took driver's ed a
million years ago, we were advised to never out-drive the conditions whether
it was the illumination of headlights or weather. Part of the rationale was,
I believe, if you can't stop in time to avoid entering the intersection due
to ice, what chance do you have to stop if a child darts out into traffic or
if a bicyclist (me) has to make a sudden move to avoid an unsafe situation?

 

The advent of red light cameras may catch more violators, but I am still
waiting to be convinced that they make streets noticeably safer.  

 

Geoff Badenoch

P   Please consider the environment before printing this email. 

-----Original Message-----
From: missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com
[mailto:missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com] On Behalf Of Jonathan Marquis
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2009 1:13 PM
To: missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: Re: [MissoulaGov] MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 35,Issue 9 - Red Light
Cameras

 

In regards to red light cameras.  My concern with red light cameras has to
do with poor weather conditions, especially slick roads. I am often
confronted with yellow lights that are short and often wonder should i slam
on my brakes to stop or should i just continue - even at the risk of being
halfway through the intersection when the light turns red?  Is it safer to
slam on your brakes when the light turns yellow in icy conditions just so
you don't get a ticket?  In slick conditions I feel that if you are
confronted with a choice between trying to stop (not get a ticket) or to
safely continue through the intersection the driver is proposed with a
challenging decision and only has a brief moment to decide.  Which i believe
can lead to somewhat of a panic situation, and in my view is less safe then
just letting them get through the intersection - which is generally well
before the intersecting traffic has even begun to move. And in this instance
of poor conditions is it fair to give someone a ticket for making a more
rational & probably safer decision? Obviously people speeding through yellow
lights just to make the light is silly and unsafe.  However yellow lights
are often very short and when the roads are slick it seems unreasonable to
get a ticket when in my view you are making a smarter decision - not
slamming on your brakes and sliding into the intersection. One might say
well if you have to slam on your brakes your probably going to fast...well i
have certainly been on roads in Missoula going the speed limit or under and
still sliding due to the complete ice covered roads (one might even remember
those conditions a a few weeks ago).  I was recently in Boulder, co and they
have red light cameras.  Driving in boulder i was faced with bad road
conditions and therefore faced with this same dilemma. Does this seem like a
reasonable argument to others?

Jonathan Marquis



 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.cmslists.com/pipermail/missoulagov/attachments/20090117/9db5df7a/attachment.htm>