California drivers won’t smile for the camera.
Six cities in the Golden State will install speed cameras at busy intersections as soon as next year after Gavin Newsom signed a new law authorizing speed camera programs — the first time they’ve been allowed in the state.
The cameras are slated to be installed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Long Beach, Glendale and San Jose with the stated goal of addressing the state’s rising pedestrian deaths.
“Speed is the biggest reason why people are hit and killed on our streets in Los Angeles,” Damian Kevitt, executive director of Streets are for Everyone, told local TV station KTLA.
“We have an increasing problem of traffic violence. We have more and more people dying or seriously injured. You see it on the news every night.
Security cameras are mounted on poles below traffic signals as pedestrians walk along Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills. The city of Beverly Hills in recent years has added hundreds of cameras to its already extensive surveillance network. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Speed is blamed as “by far the biggest reason people are beaten and killed on our streets in Los Angeles.” Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
“It needs a sign in front of the camera indicating that this is an area where if you don’t slow down, you will get a ticket. This is not a gotcha kind of thing. This is a barrier. It’s a way of saying, ‘Hey, people, slow down.’”
Community members must sign before cameras are installed in areas near school zones and areas known for high traffic racing and collisions. About a dozen previous bills to introduce speed cameras have all failed.
The camera will automatically ticket drivers who exceed the posted speed limit by 11 mph. Drivers will get a warning for the first ticket, but will be fined $50 for the second offense.
A general view of a red light camera or speed camera in Los Angeles as seen on August 13, 2018. Christopher Sadowski
Low-income drivers would only be fined $25, according to the bill.
Los Angeles tried a similar program before in 2004, installing cameras for people who run red lights in high-traffic areas throughout the city. The city council unanimously decided to abandon the program in 2011, according to the Los Angeles Times.
City traffic engineers say the cameras sometimes do more harm than good because drivers will slam on their brakes when they see a yellow light as they approach an intersection, causing rear-end accidents.
The City of Los Angeles has decided to shut down all 32 of their red light photo cameras on July 31, 2011. Intersection enforcement of red light photos depends on the good faith of those ticketed to pay fines. The violation is not enforced by the court because traffic officers are often unable to testify in court. Corbis via Getty Images
The city also can’t keep up with the task of tracking down drivers who don’t pay or appear in court for their violations. Some drivers also complained tickets were mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle instead of the driver actually driving the car.
Lawmakers have tried to pass the bill, but failed three previous times in the past six years, with people protesting that the cameras invade drivers’ privacy.
Other critics also worry that drivers in low-income communities will be burdened with citations that residents cannot afford.
This time, lawmakers amended the bill, which now allows low-income people to choose to do community service instead of paying a fine, according to the New York Times.
Speed camera programs are already in use in other cities such as Chicago and New York, where officials say their camera programs have reduced speeds by 73%.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
