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SEE THIS INNOCENT LOOKING SUV?
This may be your next speeding ticket
Monroe goes tech route to get drivers to slow down
September 04, 2010
 Standard looking SUV that houses the high speed camera to catch speeders in the act. Photo: Redflex. CLICK TO ENLARGE  A stationary mounted high-speed camera, another one of Redlex’s speed monitoring and ticketing products. Photo: Redflex. CLICK TO ENLARGE
(MONROE, WA) – The City of Monroe has stepped up its “A” game in efforts to get drivers to slow down in and around schools.
Starting September 8th Monroe rolls out some new anti-speeding gear designed to provide greater protection for students and staff members around schools.
The city will be implementing new “speed violation technology” made by REDFLEX Traffic Systems.
The technology is an automated “speedcamera system” housed in an unmanned, unmarked white SUV type vehicle that will be placed in targeted school zones in Monroe, specifically Fryelands Boulevard and Main Street near Frank Wagner Elementary school.
HOW IT WORKS
The camera system – called a “mobile speed violation monitoring system that makes use of a non-intrusive vehicle detection technology” by the company that makes it - is essentially an unmanned robot.
It can be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, taking pictures and recording video never needing a break, a sick day or a vacation.
REDFLEX calls it an “industry leading system” in its promotional material that “meets or exceeds the judicial requirements across the country.”
That means a judge likely will take the robot camera’s word over yours when it gets down to who will be sending a check to city hall to cover their misdeed.
If a suspected speed violation is caught on camera that information is sent to the Monroe Police Department where a police officer then reviews the pictures and video.
If after viewing the footage a violation is deemed to have occurred, a citation is mailed to the driver who got nailed by the camera.
And it’s hard not to be nailed by one of these as the unit can be deployed “at a variety of locations at any time of day or night with a number of different configurations," says the company, including front or rear operator seating positions "and as systems that capture face-only, plate-only or both face and plate.”
And if the system can do that, it can probably tell if that sandwich you’re eating while you are blissfully speeding down the road is tuna or chicken and whether that voice you are talking to on the cell WHILE YOU ARE SPEEDING (oh yes, it can catch THAT too) is your dear momma in Minnesota or Phil down at the rendering plant.
As the company says, “Our photo enforcement systems feature multiple integrated and synchronized high-resolution digital cameras to provide maximum flexibility for your unique needs."
Translation: dude you are like sooooooo busted!
BUSINESS OF CATCHING SPEEDERS BE BERRY-BERRY GOOD
REDFLEX must have a pretty hot business model with this and other speeder-catcher systems it sells since as of mid August the board of directors of the parent company (Redflex Holdings, Ltd., based in South Melbourne, Australia) had turned down an unsolicited offer of $2.50 a share for the company by an outside suitor and had by then already been contacted by other players who also want to the buy the company.
According to an August 17th statement to shareholders the board has “decided that the interests of shareholders will be best served by commencing discussions with a number of parties to determine whether a change of control offer can be secured at a price and on terms the board would recommend.”
That’s lawyer speak for “the company is in play.”
During the first month of operation the Monroe Police Department will issue warnings to drivers but after that – no more Mr. Nice Guy.
Drivers will then pay to play.
The police e department says the goal is to get drivers to slow down and be aware of the speed limit adding that research has shown that reducing speed greatly reduces the chances of a fatal accident.
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