A citizen’s group in Colorado overcame a stapling mishap to hopefully ban speeding cameras in a town about the size of Delano or Ridgecrest.

The Sheridan city clerk refused to accept a petition that Paul Houston presented a last year, because Mr. Houston unstapled it while making copies at an office supply store. Undaunted, the men and women of Ban It Sheridan started knocking on doors again, eventually collecting enough signatures to re-submit a stapled petition. Mr. Houston said that response from a “Honk! Ban Photo Radar!” sign was so overwhelming that a nearby apartment complex complained about the excessive noise.

Since 1991, speeding cameras are a dismal 3-34 in ballot initiatives in 11 states.

Speeding Cameras

The article title is my personal shout-out to Nancy Reagan. All politics aside, may she rest in peace.

Technically speaking, speeding cameras are usually two banks of cameras. One takes a picture at Point A, and then another one takes a picture at Point B. A computer uses the elapsed time between the two photos to calculate the vehicle’s speed, and if the figure is above the speed limit, the computer issues a citation.

Procedurally, however, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Some potentially troublesome issues include:

• Fine Amount: Much of the anger against red-light cameras in Bakersfield exists because the cameras treat rolling right turns on an equal footing with blowing through the traffic signal.

• Trial Testimony: The traditional way to enter mechanical evidence, like a Breathalyzer score, is to have a live officer testify about the machine. But some advocates do not like this procedure with speeding cameras, because one of the benefits of such a system, as they see is, is that officers are completely removed from the process.

Getting Legal Help

The aggressive attorneys at Bigger & Harman, APC, are committed to giving individuals a voice when dealing with speeding and traffic tickets. Call today at 661-349-9300 or email attorney@markbigger.com to receive the personal professional attention you deserve. En español, llame al 661-349-9755.