(Thanks to CameraFraud for the link!)

Winnipeggers: Those endangered radar cams need your help

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/step-on-it-winnipeggers-130062023.html

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

STEP ON IT, Winnipeggers
Those endangered radar cams need your help
By: David Connors

Posted: 09/18/2011 1:00 AM

Suppose you've got a business venture going in which you plunk down, say, $16.2 million in expenses over three years and rake in $28.8 million in revenue, almost doubling your investment.

Not bad, eh?
No, not good enough -- at least if you are the City of Winnipeg.
Two times in the past three years, photo enforcement has missed its target revenue by a mile.
The problem, it would appear, is Winnipeggers are simply driving too slowly and they're not running enough red lights.
Photo enforcement was supposed to rake in $35.9 million for the city. But because Winnipeggers have not been doing their part, the program has missed that mark by more than $7 million.
After a recent finance committee meeting, finance chairman Coun. Scott Fielding said it's high time the city scrap its photo-enforcement program altogether.
Winnipeg chief financial officer Mike Ruta added: "People seem to know where the locations are."
To its credit, the city did try to rectify this deplorable situation in the spring when it removed most of the Photo Enforcement Ahead warning signs from intersections. Apparently, it was too little, too late.
But is it really too late? Come on, Winnipeggers. We were able to get the Jets back. We were able to get a new Bombers stadium built. Surely we can put the pedal to the metal for another worthy cause. Save The Cams! Save The Cams! Help drive that revenue up, folks.
There is one nagging question I have, though. When the program was started, didn't the Winnipeg Police Service insist the cameras were being installed to promote safety? So if Winnipeggers have slowed down and are driving more prudently, doesn't that mean... no, never mind. That's much too logical.

Just call it trash tourism

THE city is always looking for ways to lure people downtown. Who knew the solution was as near as a back lane?
So many people prowl inner-city neighbourhoods looking for an empty auto-bin to dump their old mattresses and other bulky trash in, one West End landlord installed a Dumpster-cam to catch them in the act.
"Right now we have two Dumpsters in our lane that have more garbage beside them than in them," says Leon Wieler, who has 10 DVDs worth of video evidence showing about a dozen scofflaws a week from other parts of the city using the bins to dump trash that they should be taking to the landfill.
But maybe rather than punishing these people (who, we hope, are not the same people who say they don't like going downtown because it is so dirty), perhaps the city should accommodate them.
After all, their quest to get rid of their Beautyrest is taking them to parts of the city they might not normally see.
Instead of ecotourism or cultural tourism, they could call this trash tourism. Travel Manitoba could design a campaign similar to Spirited Winnipeg. They could call it Autobin There, Done That.
Now that's thinking outside of the box spring.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 18, 2011 A8

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