http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-traffic-cameras20-2010feb20,0,814120.storyArizona speed cameras incite a mini revolt
A masked man, a citizens group, a judge and other motorists are behind the fight against photo enforcement.
By Nicole Santa Cruz
Arizonans drive long distances on their highways, and they like to do it fast. But since the Grand Canyon State began enforcing speed limits with roadside cameras, motorists are raging against the machines: They have blocked out the lenses with Post-it notes or Silly String. During the Christmas holidays, they covered the cameras with boxes, complete with wrapping paper. One dissenting citizen went after a camera with a pick ax.
Arizona is the only state to implement "photo enforcement," as it's known, on major highways and is one of 12 states and 52 communities, plus the District of Columbia, with speed cameras. The cameras, paired with radar devices, photograph vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph or more. A notice of violation -- carrying a fine of $181.50 -- is then sent to the address of the vehicle's registered owner... Initially, the cameras were thought of as a revenue generator, expected to bring in more than $90 million in the first fiscal year of operation. But from October 2008, when the program began, to October 2009, the cameras generated about $19 million for the state's cash-strapped general fund. As of September, only 38% of issued violations were paid...
The program was designed to encourage people to pay the fine and not fight their violations: No points are added to an offender's license, and it doesn't affect insurance. But, critics note, that hasn't stopped people from wanting their day in court. About half of the total violations issued are still pending because people have ignored the tickets or have requested hearings to challenge them. The violations put an "inordinate" load on the courts, said Terry Stewart, a court administrator with Maricopa County... The most high-profile protester has been Dave VonTesmar, who has achieved statewide fame through his efforts to fight the tickets with a monkey mask. The 47-year-old flight attendant has allegedly sped past the cameras at least 40 times. His defense? There's no way to prove that he was the driver wearing the mask, he says. Lots of people, he adds, drive his car... So far, four of VonTesmar's cases have been dismissed, and he's been found responsible for seven. The remaining 29 are pending...
In Maricopa County -- where 92% of Arizona's violations occur -- volunteers have been on the streets for about a year, gathering signatures for a 2010 ballot initiative to remove the cameras. On a December afternoon, volunteers gathered signatures at an Arizona State University basketball game. As ASU fans shuffled into the game, a mother with children in a Toyota Prius gave an opposing view as she drove past. "Photo radar keeps people alive with kids, whoo-hoo!" she yelled. Many people, however, were eager to sign the petition. One couple even took a snapshot with a sign saying "BAN Photo Radar!" "It's a fraud," said Jose Jimenez of West Phoenix, who posed with his girlfriend. "It's a big scam."... Gov. Jan Brewer is encouraging the Legislature to place a referendum on the ballot so voters can decide whether to scrap the system. Another dissenter is John Keegan, a judge for the Arrowhead Justice Court, who has called the cameras a constitutional violation. He rejects every photo radar ticket that comes before him. So far, Keegan says, he's dismissed more than 7,000 violations, potentially worth more than $1 million.
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