Emergency Vehicles & Red Light Cameras . . .

[Richard B the EMT]

New FYI, from the least populated borough/county of NYC: Staten Island, AKA Richmond County.

Seems instead of giving opticon or similar equipment to any of the emergency services, the buses running on Victory Blvd. will get this stuff!

Link: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/...815,print.story

Story as from Newsday Newspaper web site:

Newsday.com

Buses will get power to turn traffic lights green

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

August 29, 2007

A pilot program starting next month will give buses the power to change red lights to green.

The technology, to be used on Staten Island, will link emitters on 300 buses to receivers atop 14 traffic lights along 2.3 miles of Victory Boulevard. It's designed to speed up service.

The devices will turn lights from red to green 7 seconds earlier if a bus is within about 120 feet of an intersection, city Department of Transportation spokesman Craig Chin said yesterday.

The program will begin at the end of September, Chin said. The technology will be incorporated into the city's planned Bus Rapid Transit project, a speeded-up bus service that will be introduced over the next two years in each borough.

Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.

Richard B, again. I still want one for my private vehicle, as per a long closed out string.

[robert gift]

I doubt any drivers even consider a red light camera ticket.

When/if crosstraffic has stopped for the EV, I would pull forward out of the way of the EV.

If I get a ticket, show the court the EV run report and have the ticket dismissed.

Stopped at a red signal, a man pulled forward out of the way of a responding fire truck behind him and was broadsided and killed.

At that same intersection, when necessary, I have always gone on other side of the median so no one is pressured to pull out into traffic.

P.S. I have a dash-mounted JVC 20 Gig Hard Drive camcorder recording while I am driving.

7 hours of video/audio . If not wanted, each driving segment is easily erased in two seconds!

[spenac]

P.S. I have a dash-mounted JVC 20 Gig Hard Drive camcorder recording while I am driving.7 hours of video/audio . If not wanted, each driving segment is easily erased in two seconds!

You have the ability to erase, or does the company after they review it? Just curious.

[not_falling]

I work for AMR in Lancaster/Palmdale and we have something like 4 or 5 of those lights. We dont have many center medians here so when people dont move we can just oppose. I do love the cameras, gotta pose and say cheese. While on the subject of drivers, when people see an ambulance in there rearview mirror why is it they panic like its armagedon? They just cold stop in the middle of the road or pull to the left and not the right......Ill never understand it. But I had a officer follow me the other day and gave a ticket to a dummy that stopped in the middle of the road instead of pulling to the right. Awww gotta love it.

[robert gift]

You have the ability to erase, or does the company after they review it? Just curious.

This is on my own vehicle. Just in case anything ever happens. I'm also a tornado chaser so it comes in handy for that. It also easily unmounts so we use it for everything.

With no tape it should not wear out - I hope.

Got it as an Open Box Buy at Circuit City. Also, it has a 16:9 screen aspect so gets more side view.

I saw the police officer who was to be sued by 5 passengers in a vehicle he broadsided while L/S. They all claimed he ran a red signal and did not give them a chance to yield.

Unbeknownst to them, he had a dash cam which showed they were all lying. Officer had a stale green. They ran their red signal. Without that video, I guess the officer would have lost.

[Richard B the EMT]

As I understand it, dashcams, other than on a LEO department vehicle, cannot be even viewed until duly authorized personnel can take the recording medium out of the vehicle.

I have seen dashcams from an assortment of EVs, mostly either sales demos, or in EVOC classes, and have to admit that the videos can either hang or exonerate the EV driver, and always give EVOC students something to think about during training.

[hammerpcp]

Around here there are a lot of one way streets. The two main roads traveling across town from east to west are both four or five lanes and one way (in opposite directions). According to me, this creates a perfect atmosphere for running red lights for two main reasons; cars are traveling faster, and more importantly there are no cars turning left in the opposing direction when the light turns yellow. Anyhoo, they have red light cameras up every where and they'll get you a hefty 180$ ticket in the mail (so I hear, of course :wink: ). I've got to say, with no data to back me up, that I credit these cameras with reducing in-town fatalities.

Another issue which has recently arisen with these cameras is the ambulance going through a red light. One of our medics was mailed a ticket for not coming to a complete stop at a red light, before proceeding through the intersection. The city (the employer) paid this ticket. From one pot into another I guess.....and we all received an email reminding us to come to a full stop before continuing through an intersection against the light.

[robert gift]

I disagree with full stop rules.

Full stop causes more pt. discomfort, slows progress and ruins momentum which causes more vehicle wear and tear, more heat build-up of brakes, more fuel consumption and air pollution.

Also, it slows other vehicles which must wait longer for the EV to clear out of their way.

Our statutes only require slowing and stopping as necessary for safety.

[Richard B the EMT]

Depending on geographic area, due to obstructions, both stationary and other vehicles, an EV driver might not be able to see cross traffic until too late to stop.

As per my mantras, below, balance the need for the speed with a ride that's a glide!

[Dustdevil]

I disagree with full stop rules.

Full stop causes more pt. discomfort...

Only if you're driving like an arse.

slows progress and ruins momentum...

I'm not in that big a hurry. I am in control of my patient.

...which causes more vehicle wear and tear, more heat build-up of brakes, more fuel consumption and air pollution.

Cost of doing business.

Also, it slows other vehicles which must wait longer for the EV to clear out of their way.

They're not in that big a hurry either.

Our statutes only require slowing and stopping as necessary for safety

This is true. But that justification only works for you so long as you don't have a wreck. The day you have one, it becomes a fact that it WAS necessary for safety and that you didn't do it. With all the adrenaline freaks, thrillseekers, idiots, and kids with less than five years experience behind the wheel of any vehicle driving ambulances these days, it is not surprising that many agencies will take that element of discretion away from their operators and establish policy requiring a full-stop, superceding state law. Can't say I blame them.