$445 for red light cam,but you need not pay

[jon gaper]

there have been a few threads about various moving violation fines,known as theft by government.

here is a happy one:


L.A. County Red Light Cameras Drain Taxpayers, Not Drivers
by Lawrence Meyers

Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Gruel has done it again — exposing enormous waste in yet another city department. However, in a Reverse Kafka-esque twist, this time it is motorists who are finally getting the upper hand when it comes to the insidious $446 red light camera citations.

Not only did Ms. Gruel say there was insufficient evidence that the cameras reduced accidents, but she questioned whether they had even been placed at the most dangerous intersections. Having seen many of these cameras peppered about the city, I have more than once wondered why certain intersections were chosen since they do not appear to be ones where accidents might understandably occur often.

However, the real lunacy of this program is that Los Angeles Superior Court judges have ruled that the citations are unenforceable. The successful legal argument was that because a human being did not actually hand the citation to the offender that the citation was not properly served.

If the citation is not legally served, then there is no crime to enforce. So people in Los Angeles County can ignore the citations with no repercussions. That’s right — drivers actually do get off scot-free. Yeah, you get sent to a collections agency, but even then there is no civil suit possible because no crime has been committed because no service was performed. Nor can the agency report your lack of payment to a credit agency or the DMV. Meanwhile, dozens of other court cases have made the camera enforcement a farce statewide.

Apparently, word of this has leaked out because 45% of the citations remain unpaid. So the entire program has cost the City of Los Angeles $2.6 million, the burden of which falls on the taxpayer. So what does the City of Los Angeles plan to do?

Renew the contract with the company that runs the red light cameras! That’s right, they will continue a money-losing proposition. Why? Get this — from the Asst. LAPD Chief Michael Moore. He says that the department relies on honesty of individuals who receive the tickets to pay them.

That statement is ironic considering LAPD Chief Charlie Beck isn’t standing up to City Hall regarding overzealous enforcement of minor traffic violations to close the City’s budget deficit.

So while it isn’t physically safe to run those red lights, let it be known that in the County of Los Angeles, it isn’t so dangerous to your pocketbook.

[WICS]

Polyass forum, sort of
(Sorry someone had to say it)

Can red-light camera haz pension and OPEB ... like humanoid officer of the law?

[QuikR12]

To make this thread worthy of it's existence and offer some help to anyone who gets a red-light ticket; These yellow lights at these intersections are typically set below the minimum time allowed in the city ordinance. My sister just recieved one, which was set at 3.2 seconds while the legal city ordinance states a yellow light must not be set below 3.5 seconds. Obviously, she won, though the traffic light won't be reset.

The yellow light elapsed time interval should be displayed on the ticket, and writing a letter to the city court judge will usually result in dismissal of the citation.

[jmars]

Off topic but I just got a no front license plate ticket.......$90 plus a $60 surcharge. FCUK them...just give me the lump sum number and quit fcuking around with surcharge crap

Sorry now on to topic

[SkiCougar]

In Houston, you didnt have to pay a red light fine either. It wasn't an official ticket; but most did.

I say did as the red light cams were voted down in the last election. A week after, the city said it was cutting staff due to revenues lost from the red light cams; i kid you not. now, you tell me those things are not just another revenue generator.

saving a life was secondary or it would have been a real ticket. i'm not knocking them and most defensive driving classes will tell you intersections are the most dangeruous things around because people run lights; but theyre up to make money.