Parked Cars Receive Speed Camera Tickets

While officials in Europe and the United States insist that “the camera never lies,” motorists around the world are receiving automated tickets for crimes that they did not commit. In Liverpool, England, for example, a speed camera accused the Fiat Punto belonging to Emily Davies, 19, of hurtling down Edge Lane Drive at 37 MPH on March 10 at precisely 10:22pm, exceeding the road’s 30 MPH limit. Confused, Davies asked to see the photograph of her alleged offense. The Merseyside Speed Camera Partnership, hoping she would just pay the £60 (US $87) fine, insisted she would have to go to court to see it. Upon later review, the photograph showed the Ford parked outside the Davies family home, which is located in view of a speed camera. Although Merseyside officials eventually apologized, Davies first had to go through quite a bit of hassle.

It is happening to other people in Laval, France. There, motorist Delphine Joubert has likewise been victimized by three times by a speed camera located outside of her home. In each case, her car is visible in the ticket photographs — parked, with nobody behind the wheel.

“We must always justify ourselves, writing letters” Joubert told Agence France Presse. “I have other things to do. It’s harassment.”

Another resident in the same building complained of receiving twelve speed camera tickets while parked. Despite the pleas of residents, French officials have shown no interest in investigating the speed camera problems.

In Mannheim, Germany it took a January 21 court ruling for officials to investigate questions regarding the accuracy of Poliscan brand speed cameras. The city hired the private firm Dekra to write a report on the speed camera program. As part of a package of information released this week about the program, Dekra found the automated ticketing machines to be “flawless.”

“In the opinion of experts, there have been no references to incorrect measurements,” a press release boasted. “Thus one can infer the proper operation of the present speed measuring systems.”

Even flawless machinery is subject to the human error of the for-profit firms that operate photo radar in the US. The issue has become so serious in Arizona that Judge Gerald A. Williams, North Valley Justice of the Peace, published an article calling the photo radar program “an extraordinarily bad idea” that the legislature needs to fix.

“At North Valley, part of the problem was due to highway signs, or the lack thereof,” Judge Williams wrote. “For a significant period of time, people received tickets for going 66 or 67 in a 55 MPH zone. The problem was that the temporary 55 MPH sign was often after the camera. As such, we have had hundreds of hearing requests. Thus far, drivers in this category have almost always been found not responsible at their hearing.”