Road-side cameras meant to enforce speed limits are a big deal in Arizona. The state government is expected to rake in $90 million this year from the freeway spy-eyes. The take is projected to climb to $120 million in 2010 -- with $45 million more going to private contractors. Even in a state awash in $2 billion worth of red ink, that's real money.
But dodging robo-cameras that slap motorists with a $181 ticket every time they tap the accelerator a tad enthusiastically isn't to everybody's taste. The most recent acts of rebellion include unknown parties who roam the roads, pasting Post-It notes over the cameras' lenses.The "vandalism" is ingenious, because it does no permanent damage, leaving state officials unsure as to just how they'll charge the perpetrators if they're ever caught.
Post-it notes aren't the only tools of the roadside revolution. The video below, uploaded on November 20, captures a speed enforcement camera lense being covered with silly string.
Hmmm. Maybe the revolution won't be televised.
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Comments
Bravo to the rebels! As an attorney I have often fought against glorified tax collectors with badges, and one of my best defenses for those accused of DUI is that they didn't strike another vehicle!
Yes, another real world example of an all-to-common practice of local govt means to generate revenue by unfairly taxing you, the driver. Where i work, we make products that help you keep your money by not becoming the target of these types of speed enforcement. Specifically, we make a radar detector that will alert you in plenty of time before the speed cameras so you don't get your picture taken and pay the unfair tax! We can help - EscortRadar.com - drive safe.
A paintball gun is a little more effective than postit notes or silly string and so much more fun. Wear a mask, happy hunting.
Police were supposed to keep us safe.
Instead they are revenue enhancement agents, persecuting normal citizens while serious crime goes ignored.
Too bad the video has been removed. It would have been fun to watch that electronic tax collector get sprayed with silly string. It's amazing how many people actually think these are about safety, when they are really a cover for engineering malpractice and designed to take advantage of over capacity intersections and lazy government workers. Instead of figuring out why the intersection has red light runners & possibly building turn lanes or lengthening yellow times, they just slap up a camera & start collecting the tax. Or instead of setting the speed limit at the 85th percentile, how about a ridiculously low speed limit and a hidden speed camera? You gotta love how their minds work. "How can we take their money while convincing them it's for their own good?"
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