School Bus Scameras in CT.
WE all agree you shouldn't pass a stop school bus with kids exiting and entering. It is illegal and DANGEROUS.
But the problems with the scamera approach is that it degenerates long term into how much money can be made.
It becomes long term not so much about "protecting the children", as more about money.
IN FACT NO DRIVER IS EVEN PULLED OVER WHICH IF A DRIVER IS PASSING A SCHOOL BUS, WHY AREN'T they BEING PULLED OVER, they are just mailing a bill. If it were about protecting the kids, YOU WOULD PULL OVER THE DRIVER WHO JUST ENDANGERED the KIDS!
Here is the link to the article: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/school-bus-cameras-prompt-tickets-in-new-britain
The long term problem is that private for profit companies and cities become addicted to the cash and might start to game the system.
Examples:
1. Change the definition of a "pass the bus".
a. Instead of passing the bus, be within a set distance. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2436.asp Quote: When the machine detects a vehicle moving within 50 feet of the bus a second after the bus driver activates a red flashing light, then the vendor will mail a $300 ticket to that car's owner.
b. Start red lights which starts the scamera while the bus is in motion (but not stopped). Most people would feel that if the bus is stopped that is when if you pass it a violation occurs. But all a scamera operator has to do is change this from 0 mph to 1, than 2, than 5 than 10 mph. So the bus will give tickets out while the bus is in motion.
c. Cite while the yellow lights are on but the bus is beneath a certain speed. The reason I suspect this could happen is an example on rail roads a few years ago. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/08/804.asp Where "Los Angeles, California rail cameras, 96.5 percent of violations are issued before the twelve seconds it takes for the crossing gates to come down." Rail road signals don't have yellow lights.
2. Put Quotas on drivers to get a number of triggers. We already know from the USPIRG report of vendors putting approval quotas in their RLC contracts http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/36/3623.asp, can you imagine the fiasco that will occur if there are quotas on these bus scamera contracts. Would we see bus drivers waving motorists by while stopped (but the scamera hot) to chrun tickets???? Or bus drivers hiding the bus in front of trucks on some roads with the lights "on" but no kids to make their "quota"???
The dangers of privatizing the police will likely rear its ugly head soon enough.
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