Article from: www.thenewspaper.com/news/31/3106.asp

4/10/2010

Florida, Germany, UK: Traffic Cameras Face Accuracy, Legal Issues
Short yellows in Florida, inaccurate motorcycle speed cameras in Germany and missing signs in the UK.

A Florida motorist defeated a red light camera ticket issued by a private company in Collier County after showing the yellow light duration at the intersection was too short. Mike Mogil measured the yellow time at Collier Boulevard at 3.8 seconds, but it should have been 4.5 seconds based on state guidelines, WVZN-TV reported. Mogil used his stopwatch to find that another 58 intersections in the county were short-timed. Officials lengthened the yellow at Collier Boulevard, but they have no interest in refunding tickets issued to drivers caught out by the short yellow.

Police in Germany may no longer issue speed camera tickets from a motorcycle after a statement by the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt questioning the accuracy of the systems. The agency stated that inclination of the bike can reduce the circumference of the tire, which has the effect of increasing calculations of distance and speed used by the ticketing system. The devices may now only be used when riding in a straight line, Der Westen reported.

A 62-year-old motorist in Weisdin, Germany was fined for flipping off a speed camera last week, Ostseeblick Nienhagen reported.

Motorists in Dorset, England will have their speed camera fines refunded after signs lowering the speed limit from 50 MPH to 30 MPH went missing on March 25. The cameras were located on Holes Bay Road in Poole where a red light camera also issued speeding tickets, the Bournemouth Echo reported. Without proper notice of the change in speed, the citations were invalid. Temporary signs have since been put in place so local officials could resume ticketing.