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I work close to a fairly rare "no right on red" (in California right on red is legal unless signs prohibit it) intersection. Without fail, near the end of the

I work close to a fairly rare "no right on red" (in California right on red is legal unless signs prohibit it) intersection. Without fail, near the end of the month there will be a cop car sitting under the bridge overlooking the turn for hours just waiting for someone to make the turn. Shamelessly sitting there, in the dark and under a bridge, blocking half the rightmost lane of a busy street, causing a far greater safety concern than would be caused by anyone taking a normal right-on-red at that corner.

thrownaway2424 14y ago
So you sympathize with people who can't be bothered to observe posted traffic regulations?
- georgemcbay 14y ago
  No, I don't really sympathize with people who get caught there very much nor did I say I did. But I sympathize far less with the cop who is doing way more to endanger my safety than the other drivers are, all in the name of scoring some easy stops to meet an obvious quota. For visual reference, this is the intersection: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.917322,-117.235688&spn=0.566608,1.056747&sll=32.934589,-117.235794&sspn=0.002213,0.004128&t=m&z=11&layer=c&cbll=32.917322,-117.235688&panoid=vBKCzKxH9ESD51CHaW-KyA&cbp=12,55.15,,0,-7.69 http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.917322,-117.2356... The people getting popped for right hand turns are the ones to the left in this image. The cop sits under that bridge in the shadow area without any lights on, taking up over half of the rightmost (leftmost from this view) lane. The difference in brightness between daylight and under that short overpass bridge is very high.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
- talmand 14y ago
  He's not sympathizing with those people, he's pointing out the police officer that can't be bothered to observe posted traffic regulations.
- SonicSoul 14y ago
  he's pointing out the irony cops endangering traffic safety in supposed aim of improving traffic safety
  - thrownaway2424 14y ago
    Is there a reason to believe that the police are trying to improve _traffic_ safety at this place? Perhaps they are trying to prioritize _pedestrian_ safety. That is, after all, why most no-turn-on-red signs are installed in California.
    - georgemcbay 14y ago
      Seems extremely unlikely that they suddenly realize they need to increase pedestrian safety at the end of each month. I've been working there for about a year and the pattern of never being there and then suddenly appearing at the end of the month is unmistakable. I had previously thought such rigid quotas were mostly urban legend until I saw the pattern repeat over and over with my own eyes.
    - greg5green 14y ago
      When looking at the map that was posted two things are clear to me: 1. Blocking 3/4 of one of the lanes under the bridge is a danger to both motorists and pedestrians. 2. I highly doubt there are many pedestrians at this intersection. It is basically an industrial park and the road dead ends a block away.
- cobrausn 14y ago
  And despite all these tickets being issued in the name of 'safety', people still continue to slightly miss the yellow, not quite come to a complete stop before turning right, and fail to make a snap judgement correct 100% of the time. The accident rate remains fairly constant or goes up as the city rakes in millions (and the company that makes the camera gets theirs as well, which can be used to lobby for more cameras). 100% enforcement of traffic laws calculated with machine precision is mindbogglingly stupid, and proponents willfully bury their heads in the sand regarding the conflict of interest and the eventual outcome of such an arrangement. So yes, I sympathize with people committing what amounts to normal human error, and despise those who seek to profit off of it.
  - mullingitover 14y ago
    100% enforcement of traffic laws would be a great thing. A wise man once said, "The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."
duairc 14y ago
ACAB
doki_pen 14y ago
It is a common misconception that officers have quotas to issue a certain amount of tickets per month. The quota is actual for how many traffic stops they make. You'll see behavior like this from cops who haven't met their quota, but it's not about the money.
- dbrian 14y ago
  Maybe not in large cities with some sort of oversight but in small rural towns with only 2 or 3 cops, it helps pay for their jobs and keeps them employed.

thrownaway2424 14y ago

So you sympathize with people who can't be bothered to observe posted traffic regulations?

georgemcbay 14y ago
No, I don't really sympathize with people who get caught there very much nor did I say I did. But I sympathize far less with the cop who is doing way more to endanger my safety than the other drivers are, all in the name of scoring some easy stops to meet an obvious quota. For visual reference, this is the intersection: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.917322,-117.235688&spn=0.566608,1.056747&sll=32.934589,-117.235794&sspn=0.002213,0.004128&t=m&z=11&layer=c&cbll=32.917322,-117.235688&panoid=vBKCzKxH9ESD51CHaW-KyA&cbp=12,55.15,,0,-7.69 http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.917322,-117.2356... The people getting popped for right hand turns are the ones to the left in this image. The cop sits under that bridge in the shadow area without any lights on, taking up over half of the rightmost (leftmost from this view) lane. The difference in brightness between daylight and under that short overpass bridge is very high.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
talmand 14y ago
He's not sympathizing with those people, he's pointing out the police officer that can't be bothered to observe posted traffic regulations.
SonicSoul 14y ago
he's pointing out the irony cops endangering traffic safety in supposed aim of improving traffic safety
- thrownaway2424 14y ago
  Is there a reason to believe that the police are trying to improve _traffic_ safety at this place? Perhaps they are trying to prioritize _pedestrian_ safety. That is, after all, why most no-turn-on-red signs are installed in California.
  - georgemcbay 14y ago
    Seems extremely unlikely that they suddenly realize they need to increase pedestrian safety at the end of each month. I've been working there for about a year and the pattern of never being there and then suddenly appearing at the end of the month is unmistakable. I had previously thought such rigid quotas were mostly urban legend until I saw the pattern repeat over and over with my own eyes.
  - greg5green 14y ago
    When looking at the map that was posted two things are clear to me: 1. Blocking 3/4 of one of the lanes under the bridge is a danger to both motorists and pedestrians. 2. I highly doubt there are many pedestrians at this intersection. It is basically an industrial park and the road dead ends a block away.
cobrausn 14y ago
And despite all these tickets being issued in the name of 'safety', people still continue to slightly miss the yellow, not quite come to a complete stop before turning right, and fail to make a snap judgement correct 100% of the time. The accident rate remains fairly constant or goes up as the city rakes in millions (and the company that makes the camera gets theirs as well, which can be used to lobby for more cameras). 100% enforcement of traffic laws calculated with machine precision is mindbogglingly stupid, and proponents willfully bury their heads in the sand regarding the conflict of interest and the eventual outcome of such an arrangement. So yes, I sympathize with people committing what amounts to normal human error, and despise those who seek to profit off of it.
- mullingitover 14y ago
  100% enforcement of traffic laws would be a great thing. A wise man once said, "The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."

duairc 14y ago

ACAB

doki_pen 14y ago

It is a common misconception that officers have quotas to issue a certain amount of tickets per month. The quota is actual for how many traffic stops they make. You'll see behavior like this from cops who haven't met their quota, but it's not about the money.

dbrian 14y ago
Maybe not in large cities with some sort of oversight but in small rural towns with only 2 or 3 cops, it helps pay for their jobs and keeps them employed.