Red Light Cameras on Long Island

CELLFISH said:
hows bout SPEED BUMPS + 100 feet, before stop signs at intersection where the neighbors cry STOP SIGNS... cellfish...
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Okay, you asked for it...

Speed bumps, another "Traffic Calming" measure that is often used as a patch to slow traffic down when we really should be asking why the traffic is so fast.

We have to talk about proper speed limits first. In general, traffic engineers will tell you that the correct speed limit for a road is the 85th percentile speed. As in, if you just opened the road with no speed limit, what speed would 85% of the drivers operate at or below. People will drive as fast as they feel safe. As anyone who's been behind the guy in the left lane that can't manage to get around a curve in the road without slowing down will attest. Naturally, there may be circumstances such as a school zone that may require exceptions. But most speed limits, like a lot of other things, aren't set by engineers, but by politicians and activists. For example back in the '70s when the national speed limit was set at 55 MPH there was no rhyme or reason for it, other than it seemed like a good idea. But it was just a number pulled out of somebody's posterior. One anecdote from my own experience, in Rhode Island there a lot of two lane back roads that are all about the same, yet the speed limits are all over the place. 30, 20, 25, 15... it's like they were set by somebody rolling dice. But I'm sure you can find someone there who will bit¢# about somebody doing 20 in a 15. WhoTF does 15 MPH?

Now, if there is a proper speed limit, are people actually speeding? I've seen it many times where people think a car is speeding when it's only their perception. I drive vehicles that are louder than average. Not hotrods, but stock vehicles that just have louder engines. Many is the time that I've seen women go full-blown momma bear, hustling their kids away from the street as if pterodactyls are swooping down to take them when I'm driving at a perfectly reasonable speed, often well below the speed limit, and not even close to them. It's kind of like the Hoover story where people complained that their new vacuum wasn't as powerful as their old one when it was, in fact, more powerful, but quieter. The other reality is that when you're behind the wheel it doesn't seem as if you're going anywhere near as fast as it does to the person that you are driving past on the street. But your speedometer will tell you which is right.

Next question, if people are actually speeding when there is a reasonable speed limit, why? Some factors such as overly wide residential streets can encourage people to "velocitate" because they feel comfortable even though it's too fast for a residential neighborhood. It also sets up a gauntlet for pedestrians which creates more risk for them, especially the handicapped or elderly. While we're at it, around here we have a tendency to put residences on every postage stamp of property when some streets should be designated as thoroughfares. Another form of poor planning. Also, long straight roads invite higher speeds, so putting in some curves to limit sight distance will keep traffic speeds reasonable. This applies to highways and residential streets. Naturally, a lot of this needs to be planned in the development of a road or community, but streets could be narrowed by adding a curb for a bike lane, or a median and in some cases a traffic circle at an intersection can limit sight distance and slow vehicles without actually forcing them to stop all the time. Also, consider the environmental impact of all that stopping and starting. Not good.

If you actually sat through all of that I'm impressed. Thanks.
 
Good a place for this as any
Don’t really know how or why but
I went 35 years without a moving violation

all of a sudden got dinged 4 times in 3 years 17 to 19
Two without a doubt I earned the other two very questionable but that’s life

and before you start I’m text book perfect when pulled over
Window down , car off hands crossed on top the wheel

yes
officer , no officer ect

sent all three to the attorney to fight
So far I’m 2 of three to the good

one more to go and it’s one of the ones I don’t think I deserved ( caught short at a fast yellow ) making a turn no less

but hell I’ll take 50/50

ps the boroughs are win or loose no plea bargains , no pay the fine lose the points
Nothing
Win or lose on the supposed merits
Roll the dice take your chances

now if I cdd as n just get back into my old track of not getting dinged
I was much more aggressive driving when younger
Maybe I should go back to that
Roflmao
 
pequa1 said:
We the public could stiff the greedy politicos if we just followed the rules of the road.

an aside:
I drove TDY in So Cal 12 or 15 years ago and again on a vacation in 2015, staying at the same Residence Inn near Anaheim and driving from the Reagan Library down to San Diego and many points in between. Rush hours, weeknights, weekends, etc. Kali drivers are the worst right ? Wrong!
I noticed quickly that stop signs actually meant stop. Trying to get the other driver to come through after his or her full stop was like trying to convince them to give up their In N Out! Changing lanes on a freeway ? Everybody signaled. Everybody. Not only that, with that signal on, people in the next lane over actually SLOWED DOWN to let me in !! I am surprised Erik Estrada and his partner did not load up on donuts, with so little to do. Littering ? I saw none in Long Beach, Hollywood, San Diego, etc..
New Yorkers are inconsiderate, rude, discourteous, "me- first" asshats and I would have left this godforsaken state years ago if not for family.
Bring on the red light cameras and while we are at it, add speed cameras to all the parkways and stop sign cameras to as many stop signs as we can. They will pay for themselves, and unfortunately due to our "good" neighbors, will never outlive their usefulness.
Click to expand...
From u that figures

liberals will be liberals
 
never voted for a lib in my life. 28 years wearing the green following 4 in ROTC. Carried Bs and Cs for most of my fed career. Didn't meet too many pinkos in either. But rather than have the speeders and people ignoring red lights and stop signs we could just raise the taxes on everybody. Someone has to pay for the politicos graft and corruption !
 
While I believe and support capital punishment, I also support a woman's right. anti-union. state's rights. Around here I am considered a gun toting, deer hunting conservative, but if visiting family in Oklahoma I would b a pinko. I like grey areas.
 
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