Low-Tech Enforcement Of Speed Limits

[k_nitin_r 8]

Enforcing speed limits the old-tech way. In India, the enforcement of speed limits is by means of a low-tech recording of the time when a vehicle passes through two points on a road. When one gets to a toll booth, the time is recorded and relayed to the next toll booth. The next toll booth determines the average speed of the vehicle by taking the time when the vehicle reached the previous toll booth and the distance between the toll booth. They prefer to avoid penalising drivers who were driving at the exact speed limit so the speeds reported by the toll booths are slightly lower than the actual speed so drivers who get penalised for being slightly above the speed limit cannot dispute the accuracy of the system. There are laser based devices for reporting speeds that are used by highway patrols too, but they are less common and cannot cover all the roads so this cheaper alternative seems to get the job done.

[sheepdog 10]

That works if you already have lots of toll booths set up. Here in the USA we have some, but really not all that many, a lot of miles of highway would not be regulated that way. Also, if the booths were very far apart, you could drive like a demon, and then stop somewhere and have lunch, so they wouldn't know what you had been doing. And it would take a lot of man power to man the booths, meaning more people on government payrolls and more tax dollars we would have to dish out. Here we mostly use the highway patrol and their radar guns. Those buggars can hide just about anywhere to catch you off guard. They study the lay of the roads and like to find hiding places near the bottom of hills where you might of accidentally speeded up because you were going down hill, even without the intention of speeding.

[k_nitin_r 8]

One of the interesting toll-booth designs that I've seen in the United States is the one that has a funnel for tossing coins. They do not require vehicle owners to mount anything on their vehicles and they do not have to be staffed. The smart-tag toll booths are pretty good because you don't have to hold on to a purse of coins to get through the toll booth, but it's probably difficult to have to attach one tag for each of the states that one needs to travel in.

The hidden cop cars with radar guns isn't too bad, but having them trying to literally find someone going slightly over the speed limit down hill is absurd - they aren't just trying to ensure safety on the roads, but they are also trying to raise funds. In Dubai, the traffic police ensures that there is a sign board large enough to warn motorists that there are radars monitoring the speeds of vehicles. Also, the radars are set to a speed that is 20 km/hr over the actual speed limit so even if someone were to overtake another vehicles at slightly over the speed limit, there would be no penalty. The traffic police isn't trying to make money off you, but rather are just trying to make the roads a safer place.

[sheepdog 10]

Keeping our roads safe by controlling speeders is a wonderful way to be all self-righteous and taking the high moral road, but we all know they just do it to make money!

Things may be different in your country, but here in the USA we are faced with a constant barrage of laws and regulations that are "for our own good" but not a single one of them is any thing more than a way for the city, county, state, or federal government. One of my favorite examples is how cities will fine you if you let your grass grow too tall, and in many cases it's only a few inches before you are ticketed. I'm sorry but 8 inch tall grass is not harmful to anyone. Maybe it isn't pretty but it doesn't hurt a thing. Same with a broke down car sitting up on blocks in your yard. Looks trashy, but in no way a health hazard. Problem is, your neighbor may think it lowers his property value if it looks like he is living next door to a bunch of bums, so a ticket you will get. As I said, it's all about money.

[k_nitin_r 8]

A ticket for overgrown grass? Having grass is actually good for the environment and overgrown grass would help convert more of the carbon dioxide into oxygen. In India, they have penalties for houses that neither harvest rain water nor have any plants covering a certain percentage of the area of the residential land. However, the penalty is not enforced, which is surprising for a third-world nation that is known for corruption, especially after the high-profile cases involving the licensing of the 2G and 3G spectrums, and real estate involving international property developers.

The eight inch tall grass is probably more of a concern in areas that are known for snakes and alligators. Having a broken down car sitting on blocks is only a concern if it is rusting and has leaking fluids. Leaking radiator fluid can be toxic to pets and other animals. Leaking engine oil, transmission fluid, or other lubricants can cause harm to the environment too.

However, in many cases while the laws may have been created in good faith, the enforcement of the laws is simply a means to make money.

[sheepdog 10]

Yes, grass is good for the environment, but if you have bothersome neighbors it isn't good for you. They will complain to the city council because your yard is a bit shaggy and not "pretty" and closely mowed. This one is especially bad in some areas, and when the yard owner is an elderly person who may not be in the best of health and capable of pushing a lawn mower it is a pretty stupid law. And the people who do the complaining should be better people and offer to help their neighbors instead of turning to the government to see their sick or elderly neighbors punished.

 

Yes, fluid leaking from junk cars would be a problem. However, in our nearest major city, a fellow who restores old cars was ticketed for one he was working on, it was not leaking anything, just not running yet. He had the car he actually drove every day in the garage and the other one out where he could work on it as time permitted. Sad when you have to give up a classic car you've had dreams of refinishing.