This is so fucked up. I just got a red light camera ticket today in the mail with a total of $500. I have no sympathy for those who run a red light even when there are no car in sight. However, I am a good driver and always wait. I don't understand how I can get a ticket without noticing it too. I thought it's the law that they have to inform the public with a sign "PHOTO ENFORCED" ahead of the road. Anyway, I am really pissed off because I honestly didn't run a red light. I think red light tickets are a scam. Just a way for the city of question to stick their unwelcome hands into the taxpayers pocketbooks a little further. Look at the news on how many of these tickets are generated because the lights are calibrated to take the photo a little early or the LEGAL "right turn trap".
I personally havent gotten a ticket yet... but I think I understand where you're coming from since my mom got a few in the past... including one from red light... But I have heard that some cops screws with the traffic light making it impossible to pass the light before it turns red... but happens is that they have these roads going at 80km/h and some of them have traffic lights, and they'll bascailly camp there and see a car flying by and flip the traffic light switch and boooom, a red ticket...
I got a freaking ticket for turning left on a red light. I didn't realize the camera was set up there and it took a picture of me turning left after the light turned red. Like any other drivers, I pulled up a bit to get ready to turn left once there are no on-coming traffic, and unfortunately, the traffic was never cleared while the light was green and there was just no way I could back up to the cars behind me. I had no choice but to go and it immediately flashed me.
i think that applies to a right turn? anyways were you blocking the intersection or what cause that shit gets you ticket too lol.
You had no choice? Sorry, but I disagree. According to traffic rules in most countries, you are NOT allowed to even enter the intersection once the light is red. By "getting ready" as you say, you entered the intersection during the red light, an absolutely perfect legal definition of the violation. Thus, how can you NOT expect to be given a ticket? You failed when you decided to get a jump on everyone else by choosing to enter the box during the red light. No offense but the way I see it, you had every choice; you just happened to have chosen the worst one. But, that's NOT that rare. Most bad drivers or ones who do illegal traffic maneuvers never see themselves as the problem.
LoL, harsh... I guess it's just bad habits and once it becomes natural, it turns to 2nd nature... I wonder what it would be like if everyone follows exactly to the rules on the road
My friend ended with a red light ticket for not fully stopping on a red light when turning right, I never really knew the cameras can do that.
Usually if you have run through a red light they usually send you a picture of the back of your car along with the ticket through the post. In England you do with both red lights and speed cameras so you don't have a word to say. If there's no photos then go to the courts, only way you can do it but the courts may jsut say it is a strict liabilty offence and you can't appeal to it or whatever..
Well, its the law to stop at the red light as if it were a stop sign. So you need a full stop, then signal and turn. However, no one ever does that, its absolute bs IMO.
I think what he meant was he was in the intersection, while the light was still green, waiting for the change to turn left. When the light turned red, he still didn't get a chance to go yet. @Thisdamngood Did the cars not being to stop during the yellow light though? That should have been your chance to go.. lol whatever it was, sucks to be you
He's would still be wrong because he is NOT supposed to enter the intersection unless he is sure that he can make it to the other side BEFORE he even enters. But that's not even possible. These traffic cameras take two pictures; the first one as soon as the light changes red. This first picture is supposed to show who is already in the intersection as the light changes. This means that if your front wheels are already over the intersection's line, then for all intents from traffic law's point of view, you're considered already having entered the intersection. You won't get a ticket for running a red light if you're considered to be within the intersection BEFORE the light changed. Moreover, as opposing traffic would have been forced to stop once the light changes red again, he would have had ample opportunity to turn left. The second picture shows who still moving after the light change. IMHO, I think what he meant was, that he entered the intersection BEFORE the light turned green, hoping to be able to make his left hand turn and beat oncoming traffic before it had a chance to start. But it seems that the oncoming drivers didn't allow him the chance to do that, as they quickly entered the intersection as soon as the light changed, and he was prevented from turning. If he would have successfully made such a turn, if I would have been the witnessing patrol officer, I would have cited him for both running the red light AND failure to yield.
Lets break out this post bit by bit: Got a ticket for making a left on red. Light turns green and he pulls forward and prepares to turn left once traffic clears. Couldn't make the left until the light turned red and couldn't back up. This means he entered the intersection after the light turned green and made the left after it turned red. Red light cameras are triggered once the vehicle enters the intersection and trips a sensor, one camera fires and captures the front of the vehicle. Shortly after, the 2nd camera fires from behind confirming that the car has driven through rather than simply rolling through the sensor.
Geez , Ralph, you did a pretty good job blasting me. I think you misunderstood me. Kontradictions and Katie understand the incident that I described very well. I lived in the city and people there are aggressive drivers. They don't tend to slow down when they see yellow. I was waiting to turn left WHILE THE LIGHT WAS GREEN. I don't know how you drive Ralph, but I tend to drive up a bit when I get ready to turn left. There were cars behind me waiting to make the turn. I was sitting there the whole time when the light was green. When it turned yellow, cars from the other side of the road were still trying to make the light. Ralph, there were no signs there that tell me there's a traffic light camera set up near by and it was at night. Ralph, what would you do in that situation???
maybe you didn't go forward enough? lol XD i always pull forward to like where my side mirror reaches half the slow lane(if theres a turn right lane) anyway when i wait to turn left on a green light just a bit unlucky on your part lol
Well, I apologize then for the misunderstanding; but one thing that I'm still puzzled about, was why you couldn't complete the left hand turn? Did you just continue to go straight instead? The light that turned red for your direction of travel should likewise have turned red for the traffic that was going in the opposite direction. Once this happens, it would have cleared your path to the left, and you can then make the left turn as intended. IOW, why was the opposing traffic not stopped at the same time that your light went red? In this case, you would be still be considered to be exiting the field on red, and not entering. I'm also assuming that we're talking about a regular four point (traffic traveling in four directions) intersection. Unless if the oncoming traffic had the benefit of an extended green, that is, they can move forward longer than your direction of travel. Generally, the issue of entering on green and exiting on red should not matter to a traffic camera (which is reviewed by traffic officers). If your vehicle was shown to have already been in the box on the first shot, then it is assumed to have entered on green. My understanding is, that traffic officers don't care about you exiting on red but focus on your entering the intersection after the light is fully red. Note: There are also multi-lane intersections which have individual lights controlling direction of travel according to a planned duration (ie left lane can turn left while opposing traffic's left lane can also turn left). These are often so hard to predict that it would be moot to even have a discussion unless one is prepared to fill a forum with diagrams and figures. Additionally, I'm not so sure that municipalities are even required to notify the public that intersections are being monitored, just that their laws provide for summons or citation notification by mail. On another note, here in New York, you are not even supposed to enter into the intersection unless you are absolutely certain that you can complete your travel through the intersection. Thus, by entering the intersection box while traffic is not cleared to complete the left turn, a driver would be considered wrong. Additionally, different municipalities use different systems; some older ones still use regular 35MM film camera, while newer ones use digital film video loops. Further, there are strong arguments against the way that some systems are employed (to generate revenue rather than the publicly stated intent of increasing safety). And finally, what would I have done? I would have signaled my intent to turn left and waited (for the opposing traffic to clear) outside of the intersection, as required by traffic laws. Red light camera set ups: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/red-light-camera1.htm http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/jan2006/bw20060103_306844.htm Several arguments against red light cameras: http://www.ridelust.com/red-light-cameras-just-dont-work/ http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=292547&page=1 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23710970
so you were in one of those left turn yield situations where there was too many people going straight to give you a chance to turn?
I don't quite get that. If it were a busy, single-lane traffic, how on earth is anyone ever going to make a left? The queue for the left turn would run on indefinitely then? At least for the rush hours? If people were in a hurry, wouldn't that entice them to try and make the turn at less than optimal safety margins? Apparently, it works in New York, but I'm not sure how efficient that would be elsewhere. Also, don't a large number of intersection accidents come from left turns made during yellows (where the oncoming traffic are sometimes desperate to make it as well)? =/ I'm not sure why the camera flashed on Thisdamngood, it sounds like a perfectly legitimate maneuver to me. I see it carried out every day. Well, this is what's practiced under Canadian regulations.
