Speed cameras not safe
In response to an article, “Somerton Civic hears from streets department,” published in the Jan. 16 edition of the Northeast Times:
In response to the story about the Department of Streets’ appearance at the Somerton Civic Association, the safety argument for speed cameras has been debunked. Studies have shown speed camera areas having an increase in crashes or the cameras had no effect. In the UK, a substantial increase in crashes was seen due to panic braking.
Act 86 of 2018 puts speed cameras on interstates, the Turnpike, federal-aid highways and US 1, and gives the state police LIDAR guns. That part is not germane to speed cameras. The whole bill was modified excessively, too. These reasons may make the law invalid.
The bill does not require best-practice engineering and enforcement, and the issue of errors is not addressed. Maryland speed cameras produced many errors. There was an accuracy double check in a previous bill, but it was removed. Did PennDOT ever hear about using the zipper merge?
Ticket the actual driver and make the penalty community service, and see who wants cameras then. No more poor engineering and predatory ticketing, either.
Keep in mind that in Philadelphia, there is an FBI investigation (as the Inquirer documented), and their red-light cameras had some shown as being 3 percent accurate. Now we expect better results? Why?
Then the stop-arm cameras the state passed last year may not be legal, due to the state not knowing the rights people have under criminal law.
For real driving safety data that is unbiased, pull up the various data at the National Motorists Association.
James Sikorski Jr.
PA Advocate National Motorists Association
Is water warranty worth it?
So basically the city has become partners with a water line warrant company and has no liability.
What happens if the warranty company doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain (shoddy workmanship, rejection of claims and slow response)?
Who is going to be responsible? The homeowner, of course. Another shady deal by Mayor Kenney and City Council.
Richard Donofry
East Torresdale
We need better schools
I am amused and bewildered by the direction politicians are taking in the country. I hear cries for smaller government, lower taxes, bigger armed forces, etc.
Let’s face it. The government has two main responsibilities. One, to protect all its citizens, and two, to educate its citizens. If these include higher taxes, so be it, but let’s make sure these dollars are well spent. This includes government-backed, fully funded schools for all its citizens, not good ones here and bad ones there. All should be good everywhere. This precludes the use of privately run schools (except colleges).
The next thing is one payer medical care. This makes sure all our citizens are being cared for properly and without regard to income or standing in the community.
Finally, I would like to see all lobbyists barred from interfering with our government by paying legislators. After all, lobbying is the same as bribery, just with another name. These would be good first steps in changing our government to serve us better.
Do I expect to see any of these changes in my lifetime? No, I don’t, but with people voting properly and for the right candidates, maybe it could happen in my children’s or their children’s lifetime.
Joe Orenstein
Southampton
Philadelphia: City of thugs
Is this what we have become, my fellow Philadelphians? After that incident of the man punching and eventually killing a man in the park over an unleashed dog, our city is no longer the City of Brotherly Love, but rather a City of Unbrotherly Thugs.
What is going on with this city that has the iconic Love statue? Every day, we wake up to news of overnight killings that have gotten out of hand. Why isn’t anyone vocal about the crimes in our cities as much as they are opposing Trump’s border security?
As our cities are growing in population, there’s going to be more crime, and that’s why we need security everywhere, along our borders as well as in our cities.
Al Ulus
Somerton
