Speed camera update (Sept.11)

[Rob MacLennan]

What is taken into consideration with safety stats?

Since the ticket falls on the car owner it's a one-time financial hit. Pay the fine. If the ticket was issued by an officer the offense goes against the driver's record and attracts insurance premium increases. While the fines are above what I call pocket change, several hundred dollars to start, it hurts the lower income driver. If you've got a thicker wallet and your travel time losses cost you money it might pay to play fast.

If you get a thousand or two in tickets, possibly written off on your company car, but get to clinch a few more deals, sell an extra house or two, it could be worth it. It's time / money equation. In my case I took the 407 if it meant getting in another few hundred in service calls. It's the same deal. Pay extra to get somewhere faster.

If it was a roadside stop, there is an immediate time penalty negating the speeding advantage. Add in the ticket and subsequent insurance premium increase over several years and the roadside stop is more punishing.

I'm now at the point that I ignore Waze's alerts about traffic cameras. With how often they get called out and how speed limits are being monkeyed with, I'm pretty much assuming they're everywhere now. They got me once. Could have got me twice if I wasn't normally a conscientious driver on residential streets. It makes me feel like the initial "Community Safety Zone" usual double-tap of fines is the whole point of the exercise.

 

[GreyGhost]

I'm now at the point that I ignore Waze's alerts about traffic cameras. With how often they get called out and how speed limits are being monkeyed with, I'm pretty much assuming they're everywhere now. They got me once. Could have got me twice if I wasn't normally a conscientious driver on residential streets. It makes me feel like the initial "Community Safety Zone" usual double-tap of fines is the whole point of the exercise.

Douggie actually brought forward the bill to kill them. That's step one. Unfortunately, it's a stupid omnibus bill with lots of unrelated issues. I hate those as they are politics at its worst. Makes it easy to take shots at anyone that opposes a single section by pointing to the harms caused if the other sections don't get passed quickly.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Douggie actually brought forward the bill to kill them. That's step one. Unfortunately, it's a stupid omnibus bill with lots of unrelated issues. I hate those as they are politics at its worst. Makes it easy to take shots at anyone that opposes a single section by pointing to the harms caused if the other sections don't get passed quickly.

All that the Opposition Parties can do is delay, with debate. With a Majority it's a done deal. Then come the court battles with Brown and Chow.