Cameras to read license plates on I-90

[JayMcGee]

and if you have nothing to hide, why worry?

[JayMcGee]

well, I'll tell you why.......


back in 1996 (yes, the software & camera's go that far back) I used to work in Manchester, and our office was just off a major motorway junction. I worked late one night (not unusual) and as I swung onto the motorway at that junction, I almost took off the outstretched arm of a young lady who was trying to hitch a lift ( pedestrians and hitchhikers are outlawed on UK motorways). I slammed the brakes on, swerved onto the hard-shoulder, and reversed back to the girl to check she was OK. Physically, she was unhurt, but a few moments conversation revealed that she was either high on something or somewhat mentally un-hinged. I advised her to go back to the roundabout and get off the motorway, and continued on my way home, resolved to call the police when I got home (this was before the days of affordable mobile (cellnet) phones in the UK).
However, when I got home, the current wife greeted me somewhat frostily, saying that Manchester police had called, suggesting that I had tried to pick up a young girl on the motorway, and would I call them back when I got in....

I did so, of course, and was greeted by the response 'so soon? you must have put your foot down on the way home' implying I had been speeding all the way home.

Eventually, the situation was sorted, but......

through no fault of mine, The Current Wife was led to have doubts of my fidelity....

T

[Ibby]

Big Brother Blair's gotta keep his eye on you too, huh?

[JayMcGee]

Blair has extended the coverage, surely, but it began back in Major's day.

However, the point stands..... even if you have nothing to hide ( as was my case) you can still be put 'on the spot' through no fault of your own by wild inuendo and mis-assumptions.

Resist the camera's and the thought-police behind them.

[Ibby]

Welcome to Airstrip One.

[JayMcGee]

Lived here all my life, Ibram.....

[Ibby]

Yes, I know, that was more of a... metaphorical welcome....

[JayMcGee]

well, metphorically speaking, thankyou....


And for the rest of you.... fiight those cameras!

(Winnie's necklaces have been a favourite response in the Uk)

[LabRat]

Iowa DOT Cameras Show Traffic Patterns

CORALVILLE - The Department of Transportation is about to tear up your traveling world. A five year plan to widen Interstate-80 to six lanes starts this summer. And while two lanes of traffic will be open in each direction at all times, the work will still cause delays.

Iowa DOT Special Projects Engineer Mike Jackson said, “Especially during the peak traffic times there will probably be some congestion."

The DOT wants to make this project easy on Iowans. So it installed 14 cameras on I-80, I-380 and Highway 218. The cameras feed video to the Internet. In a few months you can log onto www.511ia.org and see how bad traffic is.

Jackson said, “We're trying to provide additional services that will get better traffic information to the public."

The cameras are expected to help emergency services, too. If dispatch can see exactly where an accident is, it will get the right people to the scene faster.

Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said, “It's not uncommon for responders especially with the ditches to look around a little bit and go in opposite directions if they don't know exact location."

And saving time can lead to saving lives.

The cameras are up and running, but you will not be able to check out the traffic patterns until at least July. It could be as long as November.

This is my stomping grounds, and to be honest, I'm not sure that I care that there are cameras on me. Will I check the website to see if there are traffic delays? Eh, probably not. Murphy's law says that if I'm so busy at work that I'm going to be late to pick up my daughter, then there will be some dumbass who gonna make me even later. But, for anyone else out there traveling, beware!! It's gonna be slow going for another 1/2 decade, so do yourself (and me) a favor and reroute yourself. Thanks in advance.

I highly doubt that the cameras will increase response time to an accident, since pretty much everyone has a cellphone in their car, and every time I have called to report what appeared to be a freash accident, the 911 operators already knew about it. I think that part of the report is just trying to make people feel better about being 'watched'.

What would be nice is to have them as proof in case of an accident as to exactly what happened, and who was responsible. But of course, I doubt the tapes would be admissable or available if you really needed them.

My opinion? They can't hurt, but I'm not sure how much they'll help.

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

The travesty of it all is why use such sophisticated cameras to read license plates when they could be photographing Labrat's ass?

BWA ha ha ha ha !!!


I missed this before, but, see above, they now can!!!


HA ha ha ha !!!

[xoxoxoBruce]

This is standard procedure around Philly. They are not the license plate reading cameras but regular TV cameras watching sections of all the major roadways.

The TV News shows, morning and evening on all the channels have a traffic guy that gets more airtime than the weather guy. They'll cut to him every few minutes at a big board that shows the traffic patterns, the speeds, any accidents, fires or tie ups.

Then they will show the traffic on some of the cameras that are owned by PADoT. Usually they will show at least one of the five bridges coming from New Jersey.

They also give numbers like I-95 North from the Delaware line to Philly Airport, or the Blue Route(I-476) from the Sure-kill (Schuylkill) Expressway down to I-95, will take so many minutes.

It would have to be an accident pretty far out from the city to use the helicopter any more.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by LabRat

Quote:
Originally Posted by footfootfoot View Post
The travesty of it all is why use such sophisticated cameras to read license plates when they could be photographing Labrat's ass?

BWA ha ha ha ha !!!


I missed this before, but, see above, they now can!!!


HA ha ha ha !!!

You drive like an ass?

[BigV]

Originally Posted by JayMcGee

and if you have nothing to hide, why worry?

I love that phrase, Jay. It's so, so wrong. Here's an example from the current events page.

Cameras catch kiss, raising questions

BRENT CHAMPACO; The News Tribune
Published: April 26th, 2007 01:00 AM


Video cameras at Gig Harbor High School were installed to catch trespassers, fights, harassment – the stuff that threatens safety at the campus of 1,700 students.

The surveillance system has also helped administrators find and discipline students who break rules, such as leaving trash on a lunch table.

But the high school says it will tighten its own rules on security cameras after two female students were filmed kissing and holding hands.

Keith Nelson, the high school’s dean of students for almost two years, shared the footage with the parents of one of the girls. They have since transferred her to a school outside the Peninsula School District, officials said.

Abuse, highlighted in bold by me.

Originally Posted by JayMcGee

and if you have nothing to hide, why worry?

That is what we say to the government.