[alaxsxaq]

Regarding speed cameras. I was driving around the Netherlands and saw speed cameras for the first time (I'm from the US) in Apeldoorn. There were signs that warned drivers about them. In the US, in several rural areas have electronic signs at the edge of town, just outside of the limit change, which warn you when you are exceeding the limit through town. I would have no problem at all with permanent enforcement systems provided they were accompanied by advance warnings. If I am so inattentive to my driving that I miss the warnings and get a ticket, so be it. It is much safer (and should be much cheaper) than randomly placed patrol cars performing radar/laser speed enforcement.

[philipodonnell]

Speed cameras are one of those things that seems good as a concept but are always abused in practice. We seem to be unable to remove the profit motive from local governments so the only real recourse is to deny them the ability to profit from an activity that will always be abused.

> It is much safer (and should be much cheaper) than randomly placed patrol cars performing radar/laser speed enforcement.

The fact that it has a lower ROI to post an officer+radar than the ROI from a speed camera is a feature, not a bug. It helps control abusive revenue seeking behavior.

[Faark]

> We seem to be unable to remove the profit motive from local governments

As in, "such changes would be hard to achieve currently in the current US", or not possible in principle? I'd disagree with the later one. Redirect those funds to the federal budget and I'd expect such abuse to plummet. Tragedy of the commons can sometimes work in our favor as well, at least if we manage to set up system accordingly.

[avaika]

I believe speed cameras might be good if they're installed in dangerous areas to enforce lower speed limit to decrease accidents number. When they're installed in good spots to increase fine collection and the speed limit is also lowered (e.g. 60km/h on a highway just because the nearby town border crosses 500m on the map, but no pedestrian ever shows up close to the highway) for the same reason it is abusive usage of technology. Unfortunately in my home country the second scenario is the most common.