Canada

They eliminated speed traps in Calgary Alberta fairly recently. The police service is in economic distress because of it.

I'm all for reducing speeds but these cameras are well known to be used to fund police departments with massive swat teams, public policing issues and military assault vehicles and weapons. Is this really what we want as citizens, to become more authoritarian until we have a dictator like those to the south of us?

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/provinces-photo-radar-purge-leaves-calgary-police-with-28m-shortfall-taxes-may-need-to-rise-warns-councillor

Of all the fucked up technologies police and governments are using, many of which have terrifying abuse potential, this is the one people complain about.

When you get right down to it, the lack of teleport booths is the problem. People see time spent in transit between A and B as time wasted, so the natural instict is to try to shorten it at any cost. As usual, this is modified by the tendency for humans to have really poor risk-assessment abilities.

effective city planning would be better like a lot better. Having environmental clues and enforcement techniques is way more effective as it prevents and not punishes. Person injured from speeding incident is not going to be saved by $500 or whatever fine. When driver physically feels unsafe crossing certain speed limit - there's no reason to monitor or fine him/her. "More cameras" is a cheap brand bandaid that peels off two hours later. It is trying to save people "after the fact", when it's way too late

Speed cameras aren't the problem, but implementation is. When you're 5km over, well within variation of seasonal tire size difference impact on speedometer, and variations in acceleration/deceleration and road incline changes, and you get dinged not only for each of the kms you are over , but also get charged victim surcharges and administrative surcharges and a fuck you surcharge. Before it's all said and done the surcharges make it a $100. When the surcharges are more than 70-80% of your ticket it's an indiscriminate money grab.

OK, so what's the argument against using other traffic calming measures that don't steal money from people, and are just as, if not more, effective instead?

A friend of mine was literally ripped apart a few weeks ago on his motorcycle. He was hit by a speeding texter. He lost his leg, his eye, had facial reconstruction both his arms And remaining leg are in traction. Won’t be out until October. I was for speed cameras before his accident. Even more so now.

I do wish they would be more wary of Cameras at traffic lights due to asshat peops who keep turning on left way past the light changing making it look like you ran it not the asshat.

Problem with speed cameras is they don't stop speeding. People know where they are and they slow down for before them and then speed up after. Also getting a ticket is weeks later. Getting pulled over is much more effective and people actually change their driving habits.

A few years ago in Washington DC, a section of a highway had a speed camera installed and they reduced the speed limit from 55mph to 35mph. The area was also marked as a construction zone. The only indication of these changes was a single speed limit sign with a small construction zone sign right above it, and the camera was immediately after it, so if you weren't already at 35mph by the time you passed the camera, you get a ticket. There was no construction for several miles either; no cones, no workers, nothing.

I was returning home fom a service call at 3 am when this camera dinged me. I was going 55mph, and the ticket was $270. Since I was driving a company vehicle, my company didn't give me the chance to fight it, not that I could've ... the "judge" for these fines was an employee of the company that owned the camera, and they reportedly always sided with the company. This camera was noted to be the most profitable camera in the United States at the time. Hopefully Canada doesn't outsource their traffic cameras.

Legit first time I've seen someone argue in favor of speed cameras. Fuck speed cameras.