Canton Red Light Cameras

There will be a special meeting of the Ross County Board of Elections at 8 p.m. Wednesday September 2, 2009 at the Ross County Service Center’s large conference room, 475 Western Ave.

If you value your rights as Americans, you need to attend this meeting. There needs to be a packed house ad corrupt politicians are trying to take away your rights. Chillicothe Citizens have spoken. They followed the law and submitted signatures on ballots to pass a law banning red light cameras and speed cameras. Show your support and attend the meeting on Wednesday!

The reason for this meeting is that Redflex and City Council in their greed, are trying to remove the initiative from the ballot that will remove the red light cameras and speed cameras from Chillicothe. This is just a ploy to try to collect more revenue from the citizens of Ross County. The City and Redflex are planning on fighting this in court to help delay the vote and collect more money from the cameras until the courts rule (and they will) in favor of the citizens of Chillicothe.

All that the Residents want is a chance to vote on the cameras. If City Council thinks that the red light cameras are so great, then let the issue go on the ballot. If voters agree, they will keep red light cameras and speed cameras. City Council and the Mayor know that they have sold their soul to Redflex and that the cameras are gone, and so are they. This is just a power play to grab a few more bucks on the way out.

I find that several people arrive at this sight daily searching for “What happens if I do not pay” Redflex’s ticket (followed by Heath or Chillicothe). The short answer is Redflex doesn’t get their money.

I am not a lawyer, and I do not pretend to be a lawyer. I have heard from several people who have received tickets in Chillicothe, Ohio that have not paid their red light camera tickets. The way that they explain it is the fine is $95 so they say it is not enough to get reported to credit bureaus. Several people have had rather aggressive collections notices sent to them, but again they say it cannot be reported on your credit. I do not know this to be fact. If you have any questions, I would contact a lawyer and ask if this is fact (I have contacted a lawyer in the past and got free advice over the phone, believe it or not).

As I understand it, traffic tickets from red light cameras and speed cameras in Heath, Ohio are $100 and may be reported on your credit history if not paid. Again, you may want to contact a lawyer and ask if this is true.

Whether an unpaid red light camera ticket or speed camera ticket can be reported on your credit history or not has not stopped a huge number of people from not paying them. Some say it is easily worth 7 years of a minor blemish on their credit to keep from paying Redflex. Redflex has actually reported a decrease in profits, due in large part to motorists who refuse to pay their automated enforcement tickets.

Again, If you have any questions about your red light camera ticket or speed camera ticket, call a lawyer and ask questions. The very worst a lawyer can tell you is that they do not give legal advice over the phone (or for free). If one lawyer tells you that they will not talk to you, call another lawyer.

A new group has been formed on Facebook to support the efforts of Citizens Against Photo Enforcement. The Facebook group is located at Ban Red Light Cameras in Chillicothe and is intended to support the efforts of the C.A.P.E. website at http://www.myrosscounty.com

Join the facebook group if you support the removal of Redflex’s red light cameras and speed cameras in Chillicothe, Ohio. If you have received a ticket from the red light cameras or speed cameras, leave a comment and let me know how you were treated at your “hearing.”

Do you live in a city that has Speed Cameras and Red Light Cameras. Does your city hand out speeding tickets using technology like photo radar? Speed Cameras are popping up all over the world as cities feel the pinch financially from the sagging economy. Speed camera vendors promise riches beyond a mayor’s wildest dreams. Speed cameras hand out speeding tickets that are impossible to defend, as the city does not have to prove that you were driving a car, simply owning the car is enough to convict you EVEN IF YOU CAN PROVE YOU WERE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. Tickets from speed cameras in Ohio usually require that you pay a fee just to have the right to fight your ticket in a hearing held by the very people that stand to benefit financially if you are convicted.

If speed cameras and red light cameras are a nuisance to you, there is help. Trapster is an application that you run on your GPS enable mobile phone. Trapster allows you to report the location of speed cameras, red light cameras, active speed traps, and places where police usually hide. Trapster is legal in all states, as it is not a radar detector, or text messaging.

Trapster works as drivers pass a speed camera, speed trap, red light camera, or frequent police hiding spot, the driver hits a button on the phone reporting the speed trap. The location and type of threat is uploaded to the Trapster database. All other drivers passing the speed camera or other threat will be notified with a voice warning and will see the threat on the moving map.

Trapster can be updated by users on their PCs at home too. If you pass a speed trap on the way home and cannot update from your phone, you can still let other drivers know about the speed trap.

If you drive in the area of speed cameras, photo radar, red light cameras, or areas where speed traps are a problem you should run Trapster on your mobile phone. It is free, information is kept current, and it is much cheaper than a speeding fine, attorney fees, and experiencing the miscarriage of justice that speed cameras dish out daily.

Trapster Official Website

Well, it looks like the panic is setting in at Redflex and they are paying huge amounts of money to fight the ballot initiative in Chillicothe to remove the red light cameras and speed cameras. This company will stop at nothing to maintain the ability to steal from the citizens of the USA.

CantonRedLightCameras.com will be devoted to helping the citizens of Chillicothe fight the propaganda from Redflex and the City of Chillicothe until the red light cameras and speed cameras are successfully removed.

There will be an meeting with the board of elections to discuss the initiative to remove the red light cameras and speed cameras. The city has scheduled this meeting during a time when most Americans are at work, so that it will appear that this initiative has no support. Details are below.

NEED EVERYONE THAT PAYS CHILLICOTHE TAXES TO SHOW UP NOON MONDAY AUG. 24, 2009 CONFERENCE ROOM B AT BOARD OF ELECTIONS

Redflex along with the City of Chillicothe has filed to stop the red light cameras from going on the ballot. But why wouldn’t they ? They are taking money out of our pockets to benefit them , there is no safety concerns.

They are angry because citizens are speaking up and not allowing them to do as they please. Citizens are demanding a VOTE.They are angry because when this passes the Mayor and Council will not be able to vote Redflex or traffic cameras back into town. They will still able to vote on issues JUST NOT THE CAMERAS AGAIN.

Donations needed: Make checks payable to CAPE and mail to treasurer at 1060 South Fayette St. Washington Court House ,Ohio 43160
Or call 740-505-0811 for cash donations

Thank Citizens for your support, we speak for freedom to VOTE.

Our law enforcement will still be able to use radar , but to use this, there must be an officers present or at the location. This assures our law enforcement a job.

America stand together ! We are getting people from everywhere donating money to fight this. Everyone help speak up for your rights.

Be here Monday Aug. 24Th 12 noon at the board of elections, conference room B ,Chillicothe. Everyone from everywhere show up to express your concerns and opinion. Make it a Huge turn out; take the day off to make sure your rights remain, the big company’s from out of town/country do not take over our town.

WE DEMAND OUR RIGHT TO VOTE, EVEN IF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL DO NOT CARE ABOUT US, WE MUST CARE

Donations needed: make checks payable to CAPE and mail to treasrer at 1060 South Fayette St. Washington court House, ohio 34160
Or call 740=505-0811 for cash donations
Citizens thank you for your support, CAPE standing up for freedom and demanding A VOTE.

Do not let the city get away with this. Show up at the meeting and speak up for your rights. The organizers of the petition drive have been required to follow Ohio law in obtaining signatures. The City is required to follow Ohio law and place the initiative on the ballot. I believe that the City is engaged in stall tactics, knowing they will lose a court challenge, but if it allows them to collect illegal fines for six more months until a new election is held, then they do not care what the law says. Citizens of Chillicothe, show up for this meeting and let the City know you will not allow them to disregard the voters’ wishes!

For more information on the fight to remove red light cameras in Chillicothe, see the Citizens Against Photo Enforcement forum.

Tomorrow, July 1, 2009, the speed limit for trucks on the freeways in the State of Ohio will become 65 miles per hour.  I am not a truck driver, but I have experienced being stuck in the right lane due to high traffic, and being stuck behind a truck that was doing the old speed limit of 55.  I think that having a split speed limit is unsafe.  I have seen a few accidents from cars closing on trucks faster than they thought.

The real reason for this post is to celebrate that the provision for speed cameras in Ohio construction zones was removed from the very same bill that raised the speed limit for trucks on Ohio freeways.  You can be sure that lawmakers, who are being wined and dined by Redflex, will try to sneak photo radar onto Ohio freeways again.  Redflex lobbyists  will tell of the millions of dollars that can be added to the budget, which is the language of Columbus.  Ohio needs an outright ban on photo enforcement and the violations of due process that come with these red light and speed cameras.

The residents of Heath, Ohio were surprised to find that the Mayor and City Council had entered into a rush agreement with Redflex to install red light cameras and speed cameras while nobody was watching. The first clue to the public that an agreement had been struck was when red light cameras and speed cameras started appearing on the streets. The mayor made a public announcement to the press AFTER the red light cameras were installed and the City was locked into an agreement with Redflex. I guess he thought that the public would do as they did in Canton and shoot down the red light cameras before they were installed.

All that has happened in Heath, Ohio is that the residents are fighting mad. Business owners are mad, and for good reason. If I had to have a sign made and I had a choice between a business in downtown Heath, Ohio or a surrounding township or city that did not have red light cameras, I would choose the camera free location even if I had to drive 5 miles further. Why risk a ticket that can make my sign $100 more than if I purchased elsewhere. Signs are not the only example, it was just a convenient example. These cameras are at lights that have the bare minimum yellow light time allowed by law and you risk getting a ticket anytime you travel into Heath, Ohio, making doing business there undesirable.

If you are a Heath, Ohio resident and a registered voter and you would like to help remove the red light cameras by signing a petition, you are urged to call Duane Goodwin of DR. Signs at 740-522-4289.  Do not let the red light camera scam continue in your city.  We defeated the cameras in Canton, Ohio before they were installed, but we were prepared for a fight.  These cameras deprive you of many constitutional rights and you should not stand for them.

Last night, Canton City Council voted 11-1 against the legislation to install red light cameras and speed cameras in the City of Canton.  The defeat was expected, but to have one person vote for the legislation was unbelievable.  

The lone yes vote was from ward 2 democrat councilman Thomas West.  Mr. West stated that he voted his conscience.  He said that he had heard from the senior citizens and elementary school students in his ward that they wanted the red light cameras.  This man must have the smartest ward in all of Canton.  If elementary school students are writing letters and phoning their councilman at the age of seven, there is great hope for the future of Canton.

The above story is how Mr. West portrays his vote.  My guess is that he wanted the money that these red light cameras and speed cameras would produce, but since they are a political hot potato, he did as all politicians do, he blamed it on senior citizens and children.  Remember in the 1990s when the republicans took the house and senate?  Everything that the democrats did during that time was because the republicans wanted to “starve kids and kill old people.”  Republicans have had their own share of “for the kids” moments too.  The truth is, these laws are seldom “for the kids” or “for the senior citizens,” but who can possibly be against something if it “benefits” our most vulnerable population, the children and senior citizens.

Thank you to the Canton City Council members who stood up to Mayor Healy and Redflex.  You refused to give in to Mayor Healy after he sold his soul to Redflex for the small price of $250.  You did what elected officials are supposed to do, listen to those who elected you and vote for your constituents.  Your constituents wanted you to vote against these red light cameras, and you made it know that you would.  You stood up to the violations of due process that these red light cameras and Redflex bring.  

Every member of Council that stated their intentions to vote against these red light camera ticket generating machines was a Democrat.  I am a Republican, but you see I can give credit where credit is due.  I will not be switching parties based on this issue, as it was also a Democrat that took political bribes to propose these cameras in the first place.  Mary Cirelli deserves a special thank you, as she has been against these red light cameras and speed cameras since the first day they were mentioned.  

Hopefully the mayor and council will not waste months of time again discussing this dead issue.  If these cameras are ever installed, the petitions to remove them will be close behind, along with the petitions to remove any politician who votes for them.  

Way to go Canton City Council!!!  Thank you for doing what is right!!!

Well, today has been a great day!  I thought I would pay the folks at www.myrosscounty.com a visit to let them know that the City of Canton is not going forward with the plans to install red light cameras, and what do I see?  It appears that the republicans in the Ohio Senate have removed the provision to install the speed cameras for revenue generation is construction zones.  They have also removed the provision that would make a seatbelt violation a “primary violation.”  The biggest issue I had with the bill is the speed cameras in construction zones.  Redflex has taken quite a hit in Ohio today. 

I would like to say “Hi” to all of the people working at Redflex… This site gets about 12 hits per day from Phoenix, AZ and a few hits per week from Australia.  Maybe they will send some people to a golf outing I am thinking of hosting.  Why not?  They sent two to golf with the guy who was campaigning to be the Mayor of Canton.