Not at my intersection

From: John (Jack) R. Venrick [jacksranch@skynetbb.com]

Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 1:30 PM

To: AJack R. Venrick

Subject: Not at my intersection

----- Original Message -----

From: John (Jack) R. Venrick

To: AJack R. Venrick

Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 10:10 AM

Subject: Not at my intersection

From: Mark

Here is one more thought on these cameras

The City council approves and signs a five year contract with the company out of Arizona

Two years into the contract, the people have an initiative on the ballot and vote out cameras and city is stuck with having to pay for the cameras for next three years.

This is the situation that goes to the heart of the problem .... Government is not solution but the problem

They go sign contracts in name safety without getting a buy-in from the people

----- Original Message -----

From: Mark

To: John (Jack) R. Venrick

Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 4:34 PM

Subject: RE: Not at my intersection

Well you got it

The basic point was that cities signed 5 year contracts and it took about three years and then every one was aware that a camera is at that intersection. So all of the cars approaching the intersection would make sure they did not run the light. Thus the revenue drop off to the point that the company that owns the camera was not even breaking even and thus city owes them money for next two years.

What kind of idiots would put the equivalent of a beautiful woman on a street corner and not think that every guy that goes by there would not slow down and take a look at the new gadgetry. Sooner or later the human learns and adapts.

The problem with municipal corporation and Olympia self anointed bureaucrats, is they cannot think out of their greedy little box of what will really happen as time goes on if we do this ?

If they truly did it in the name of safety ... then did they need a five year contract to change human behavior ? Obviouslly some one had to tell it takes FIVE years to learn about red light.

Interesting ...It probally would take about five hours and every guy in town would know about it who was electronically or otherwise alert.

From: John (Jack) R. Venrick [mailto:jacksranch@skynetbb.com]
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 10:27 PM
To: Mark (Home) Grothe
Subject: Fw: Not at my intersection

Give me you high points again and I will post and send out, e.g. diminishing revenue due to learning curve of drivers, GPS coordinates being recorded of CAMS and posted to sites on web, cities locked in to 5 years contracts, etc.

----- Original Message -----

From: Alex Rion

To: John venrick

Sent: Friday, January 28, 2011 8:34 PM

Subject: Not at my intersection

Dear John,

They are popping up across the country at intersections near you. Traffic cameras are marketed as a safety solution and a cost-saving measure for cash-strapped municipalities… unfortunately the truth is far more sinister.

Traffic Cameras Don’t Solve Problems, They Create Them

Did you know that traffic cameras, or Automated Ticketing Machines, actually increase accidents at intersections? That they routinely issue tickets for false positives to those making legal right-on-red turns?

How about the companies that push the cameras, did you know they are for-profit companies? That they have revenue-sharing agreements with the cities that host the cameras? It’s a built in incentive – for both the company and the municipality – to maximize the number of tickets issued.

If those problems weren’t bad enough, think about how they shift the burden from presumed innocence, to presumed guilt even when it’s widely known that drivers are routinely misidentified or ticketed due to an equipment malfunction. There are a host of liberty issues: invasion of privacy, denial of due process, and financial conflicts of interest to name a few.

Traffic cameras are about revenue. Make no mistake about it, local politicians may tell you Automated Ticketing Machines (ATMs) are about safety, but ATMs represent considerable cash flow to municipalities who, instead of cutting budgets, are casting about for more ways to get their hands in your pockets.

What Are We Doing About ATMs?

The legislative season is in full swing. One of the top issues we are working on this year is getting rid of invasive Automated Ticketing Machines. On this issue we have opened up two fronts.

Local Initiatives

Washington State Campaign for Liberty has partnered with liberty-minded groups around the state to turn back the tide in four cities: Bellingham, Longview, Monroe and Wenatchee.

Washington State Campaign for Liberty, BanCams, and VotersWantMoreChoices are involved in all four cities in conjunction with:

§ Transportation Safety Coalition – Bellingham

§ Mike Wallin and Joshua Sutinen – Longview

§ Seeds of Liberty – Monroe

§ We the People – Wenatchee

In each of these cities the legislative body – the city council – has decided they will put the safety of their citizens at risk for a revenue stream by installing Automated Ticketing Machines.

If you live in – or near – any of these cities, here is your chance to help make a statement. Print a petition and get registered voters in the city to sign the petition and return them to the address on the petition.

§ Bellingham - petition available soon

§ Longview - click here for the petition

§ Monroe - click here for the petition

§ Wenatchee - click here for the petition

A Legislative Solution

We appreciate the unique opportunities the initiative process provides Washington State citizens. However, we generally favor more comprehensive legislative reform efforts. As the political police, it’s our job to hold our elected officials accountable.

There are several bills introduced in the state legislature this year modifying provisions of the law that allow traffic cameras – requiring mandatory study periods prior to installation, lengthening the “yellow change interval” at intersections, etc.

These are prime examples of trying to make a bad law into a law that is less bad. In some cases, the proposed legislation makes sections of the law actually worse than it already is!

It’s easy to fall into the trap of supporting this kind of legislation in the spirit of moving closer to our eventual goal. However, if there is a bad law on the books, the right thing to do is to repeal the law.

To that end, Washington State Campaign for Liberty has drafted language for a bill that completely removes the authority for the use of Automated Ticketing Machines. Look for our letter coming soon with confirmation of its introduction!

A Call To Action

Next Tuesday, Feb. 1st, there will be a public hearing of the House Committee on Transportation at 3:30 PM.

Please plan to attend if you are able to let the legislators know that you support a repeal of the laws allowing Automated Ticketing Machines, not just a legislative Band-Aid.

The meeting will be at:
1st Floor, Joel M Pritchard Bldg
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600

It's subject to change, so stay tuned for further updates.

Keep up the fight!

Alex Rion
Executive Director
425-298-5080

P.S. If this is the kind of work you support, please consider chipping in towards our efforts.