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In the absence of a flair system on lemmy yet, let’s try to make it easier to scan through posts by type in here by using tags:
They're not "speed enforcement cameras" they're part of a mass surveillance system with the feature that records speed and adds that data along with all the other data it collects and associates with your plate number and any beacons your cell phone is transmitting.
If it was about speeding or safety they'd design the road better or have police patrolling more often.
Just take a look at how these systems are abused by the government in the UK and US. Does this still make you feel safe?
Do you have any proof that the cameras are communicating with cell phones? Do you have any proof that Canada is using these cameras to track plates?
Toronto can't seem to catch any of the vandals that are cutting down the cameras and i doubt the suspects leave their phones at home as photos of their destruction often make it onto social media.
To be fair speed cameras are a terrible way to address the problem of speeding. The solution isn't speed limit enforcement, it is road design. If you build a wide straight open road that feels like you're driving on a highway, drivers will naturally tend to drive on it at highway speeds. Slapping a low speed limit on a road like that will make following said speed limit extremely uncomfortable and drivers will naturally tend to go too fast the moment they stop monitoring their speedometer. Hiding a speed camera on a road like that is essentially tricking people into paying an extra tax and speed cameras are often being blatantly used in that way.
The real solution to keeping speeds low is narrowing the street and also if possible making it windy. Use the space to add trees and protected bike lanes. Suddenly drivers will feel comfortable driving a slower speed without the need for a speeding camera. As a bonus it improves the safety for cyclists and pedestrians far more than a stupid speed camera ever would, and it makes the road far more enjoyable to use for everyone, including the car drivers.
The people signing this petition are also opposed to road redesigns, particularly ones involving road diets.
Is this a feeling or opinion you have, or do you have a source stating as such?
Car brainers are gonna car brain. It's always "one more lane".
I mean.. there's nuance in everything. a recent road redesign in san francisco was disliked by shop owners, and is getting removed. But they still want the bike lanes, they just didn't like how the city implemented it, because it resulted in a bunch of other problems. So if DrunkEngineer doesn't have a source for "the people signing this petition are also opposed to road redesigns" I'm going to go ahead and assume it's made up and that, just like everything, there's nuance and making up people's positions is a good way to make your position weaker.
I find it very predatory how where I live, there are fully unmarked, tinted windowed SUVs parked on the least suspect places on the side of the road just for secret speed cameras, and it's even worse when the roads are as you mentioned, not designed for the speed limits imposed, but also the fact that the fines here are around $220 AUD (~€130 / ~$140 USD) is even worse.
☝This, and also even if they didn't suck for the reasons you wrote, they would still be unacceptable because they further enable the surveillance state.
I don't think people operating heavy machinery should be afforded privacy at the expense of the safety of others, to be honest. Privacy can be afforded to people engaging in behaviours that are not risking the lives of others.
Plus you can choose to just not use the streets where the cameras are installed if you're that worried about a surveillance state. It is likely the state is already surveilling you in far worse ways than a stationary camera aimed at a roadway.
Design speed is the most important tool when it comes to managing speeds, but speed cameras are a useful tool in the toolbox to address specific problematic spots, in the very least until a design speed-based solution can be deployed, which may for economic reasons be when the road warrants resurfacing.
In Sweden, cameras are used to specifically reduce speed in crash-prone spots, such as in intersections where drivers merge onto a higher speed road. Drivers get advance notice in the form of a sign that a speed camera will be upcoming on the road in several hundred meters, and speed limit compliance naturally follows at the point of the camera. They are effective at reducing crashes when deployed in this manner.
It costs millions to refurbish just 1 road to safer standards while the cameras costs thousands to operate. Rehabilitation when due for resurfacing is the most economically viable option, hopefully most of the revenue from the cameras is dedicated to making safer streets. I'll take the cameras in the meantime because speed is one of the biggest factors in roadway safety. Its not a perfect solution, but is far better than doing nothing.
There an more refurbishing options for improvements, and you can use them to incrementally test before the next resurface.
Jersey barriers, concrete planters, surface treatments/paint, flexposts, and snow clearing width reduction pip to mind.
The solution isn’t speed limit enforcement, it is road design.
I would generally agree with this sentiment. However, the behaviour of drivers these days goes well beyond road design. It's rabid entitlement, often aggressively so.
As an example, we design intersections so that vehicles can STOP and then proceed when safe. However, I very frequently see people ignoring stop signs and red lights. We NEED enforcement here, and no amount of acceptable* design will help.
*by acceptable, I mean something that NIMBYs won't complain about... which is often the biggest barrier to road design intended to keep speeds low or roads safe for other users.
And yes, road design helps. But we need to also make sure that those who ignore road design and legal speed limits are fined, and that's what speed cameras do - by the tens of thousands per location. Have them pay for better road design 🤭
Stop signs should generally be replaced with roundabouts and speed tables. Stop signs that get ignored are a great example of design not matching needs.
You should see how drivers navigate roundabouts around here 😂😂
And NIMBYs are against them, too!
If people are bad at driving, then you need more non-driving options so they don't have to drive.
I've got a friend in the Toronto area who is a terrible driver, knows she's a terrible driver, and is insured at terrible driver rates; but there's just no practical alternative for her.
Do you guys not put speed bumps on roads?
Speed bumps only leads to oversized trucks
Not here in Europe. But now that I think about it, European streets and roads are small so it is impractical to be driving huge cars to begin with.
I too like to speed, bike riders and school children are just speedbumps, right? Shoulda paid for the ZUM!
Simple solution really - drive the fucking speed limit!
What is this, Nazi Germany?
Instead of removing them, can we just place permanent speed cameras in all school zones?