Each Wednesday, we’ll publish quick summaries of the articles from the last week on TheNewspaper.com. We’re doing this because these articles are often strongly connected to the issues that National Motorists Association members are interested in.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
License Plate Reader Controversy Grows In California, Virginia
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is mounting another challenge to the use of technology to spy on motorists. The organization filed suit last week against Fairfax County, Virginia for violating state data protection laws with its automated license plate reader program (ALPR, also known as ANPR). The civil rights group faces an uphill battle making its claim, as other challenges have not fared well.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Texas Group Files Complaint Over Illegal Speed Camera Program
Smith County, Texas Judge Joel Baker kicked off controversy when he announced the implementation of a speed camera program on April 27. The group Grassroots America We The People filed a formal complaint last week with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the local district attorney, urging both to open an investigation into the secretive dealings between Baker and Arizona-based camera vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) to set up the photo radar contract.
Monday, May 11, 2015
France, Germany, Italy: Speed Cameras Attacks And Bribery Convictions
In Seyches, France, vigilantes used blue spraypaint and aluminum foil to disable a speed camera on May 2. Sud Ouest reports that the message “B2O” was also scrawled on the side of the automated ticketing machine on the D933.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Arlington, Texas Voters Dump Cameras And Pro-Camera Mayor
Voters in Arlington, Texas took matters in their own hands Saturday and outlawed the use of red-light cameras. The ballot proposition terminating the city’s photo ticketing program was adopted with 60 percent of the vote. By nearly the same margin, voters also ejected pro-camera Mayor Robert Cluck in favor of Jeff Williams, a staunch opponent of automated ticketing machines.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Colorado Legislature Votes To Ban Traffic Cameras
The Colorado General Assembly adjourned for the year on Wednesday leaving a pair of bills on the governor’s desk that would end the use of red-light cameras and speed cameras throughout the state. The House approach would let voters in each individual community decide at the ballot box whether cameras should be banned. The Senate approach would impose an outright ban. It is now up to Governor John Hickenlooper (D) to decide which approach (if any) will become law with his signature.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Missouri House To Allow Voters To Decide On Traffic Cams
The Missouri General Assembly has never been able to come to agreement about whether red-light cameras and speed cameras should be used in the state. Bills put forward to advance photo enforcement have failed just as often as legislation that would ban automated ticketing machines. Last week, the state House of Representatives came up with what a large majority, 109 to 37, saw as the perfect compromise. They voted to pass the decision along to the people.
