First-hand account of Lubbock Red Light Camera voteListener: David Spears, committee chairman
Category: Law Enforcement by Camera
Date: 14 Feb 2008
Time: 11:00:25 -0700
Remote Name: 69.149.121.29
CommentsHere is the first hand
account of the Lubbock council's meeting and vote on Red Light Cameras today in
which they voted to remove the cameras from the Hub City from David Spears,
chairman of the Photo Enforcement committee created by state legislation. He was
appointed by mayor Miller. No surprise that Price, Jones and DeLeon demonstrated
that they are dense as bricks:
Wow! That was exciting.
- Amazing the ignorance and stubbornness of some of those people. There is just
an overwhelming amount of evidence that the cameras are not working, but these
people feel good that we're trying to do something, so let's just keep on.
Results don't matter; Intentions do.
- A lot of anecdotal evidence is about all the camera proponents have - (the
other) David Miller said he saw two people running red lights in construction
areas this morning. (He seems to lean toward the conclusion that we really need
cameras everywhere!! - SCARY) Someone else (Ms. Jones?) said that people have
told her how the cameras have really helped them remember to be more careful (It
would probably be better to have someone at the city call those people every day
and remind them to drive carefully). The best was Ms. DeLeon admitting that she
got a red-light-camera ticket, and it was a "wake-up call" to her that she
should drive better (Any guesses about what kind of a driver she is?). I guess
we should just go on having all these accidents so people can remember to engage
their brains when they drive. What a GOOD IDEA.
- Mr. Price, in particular, seems unable to grasp the basic point that
cameras affect people's behavior - he went on and on about how red light cameras
don't cause red light running and accidents, people do. I thought everyone
understood that basic point, and didn't think to address it. Mr. Price seems to
think that we are saying the red light cameras are directly causing people to
drive irresponsibly, and he has to point out that is not the case. I'm really
glad to have this
unbelievably basic fact put in my face in such an arrogant and condescending
manner. Next thing you know, he's going to tell me that guns don't kill people,
people kill people. STOP THE PRESSES!!
- It was obvious the mayor was going to be the swing vote, and he had me going
with his (disappointing) statement that the cameras need time to work their
magic, (because that's what's happened around the country), and that we probably
should give 'em the full year.
- However, the mayor did note the divisiveness of the cameras, and in the
interest of unity, he voted to take the cameras down. (I'm not going to write my
thoughts down about that - You can fill in the blanks for yourself - and I'm
sure you can do it far more eloquently than I can.)
Not more eloquently, just this: He smells an
election coming. And, to his credit he took the advice of the person he
appointed to the committee.
- It would be nice to do something because of the overwhelming preponderance
of evidence, because of common sense, because of thinking (not feeling), but I
guess that's just the way government works in 2008. The bottom line is that (by
a slim 4-3 margin) the cameras are coming down.
This point about evidence over emotion is the key point and demonstrates
Liberalism and incompetence at work in government.
- What would it take to get a 7-0 vote from these people? After seeing them in
action, I don't believe it would happen in a million years. VERY SCARY!!
David Spears
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