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.