June 8, 2006
Are Traffic Cameras Racist?
Drivers in the District now know that running a red light or speeding is a riskier proposition that it was in years past -- with the city's fast-growing deployment of automated traffic cameras, very little is getting by the man. And though plenty of people have complained that the cameras are more a means to increase revenue than to promote public safety, some are now claiming that race has become a factor in where the cameras are located.
The Washington Times is reporting today that some drivers are complaining that traffic cameras are disproportionately located in the city's African American neighborhoods. In response to the reported $3.3. million in revenue the cameras brought the city in March of this year, one African American motorist stated:
"That $3.3 million was generated off the back of the black community," said Mr. Dunn, 43, who is black. "I know every area where [the cameras] are, and I've never seen any on Wisconsin or Connecticut avenues, in Georgetown or on Capitol Hill."And though it might sound like race-based paranoia, a spokesperson at AAA said it just might be justified -- of the 34 speed-enforcement zones set up in April, 23 were in Northeast and Southeast, which are both largely African American. Of course, police officials dispute the accusations, noting that the speed enforcement zones are set up in areas where repeated complaints of speeding are reported.
Is this an indication of a city still grappling with racial insecurities, or a real instance of police unfairly targeting minority populations? Did the Washington Times really sniff out a story, or did they merely float a theory and ask a disgruntled driver or two for supportive quotes?
>>DCist on the District's traffic cameras
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Um, there are definitely cameras on Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues in the NW, I've seen them go off.
I am pleased that AAA is going after these cameras. I received a ticket at Connecticut and Porter Sts NW, however, for speeding 10 miles above the speed limit which has always seemed to be inacurate to me. But there certainly are cameras on CT ave.
The city itself is run by the African-American community (just ask someone who's Latin) so I'm not surprised that they contributed $3.3 million in fines. When The Man is African-American it makes some of these acusations odd.
Don
It's a ridiculous assertion. These things are mostly set up in a way to catch through-traffic and bring to dc coffers additional md and va dollars. They'll pay a commuter tax one way or another, and it might as well be the ones who disregard our laws that do the paying.
i've always hated these cameras. all it takes is someone who can climb a poll and a dark garbage bag to shut one down for an afternoon.
someone in the community should make the point.
Yes, there are definitely several on upper Connecticut. Obviously Mr. Dunn has never driven there or he would have seen them all--people run those lights all the time. I wish there would be a rule where people couldn't talk out loud unless they actually knew what they were talking about!
There is, last time I checked, a camera at Connecticut Avenue and Nebraska Avenue in NW, as well as a few others that I can't place exactly. Nonetheless, it seems that there are fewer cameras on the west side of the park. But the guy's comments are pretty silly, since having a speeding camera in Georgetown would be all but pointless, and there's a similar problem with one on Capitol Hill.
My sense is that 1, more than 50% of the people in the city are African American.. and these neighborhoods are less densely populated than the NW DC, so thus, people can drive faster with less street and walking traffic. I guess.
As a white resident of Petworth, I can say the only camera ticket that I've gotten was on Macarthur in the Palisades neighborhood.
I call bullshit. Take a look at this map from washingtonpost.com (scroll down a bit), which details the city's top 10 most dangerous intersections (top 50 here). Notice how 9 of them are in NE/SE or on an interseciton with N/S Capitol St.? Could it be that these camera locations are correlated with the most dangerous commuter routes? I'd like to see a breakdown of the volume of commuter traffic by neighborhood. Certainly, the "whitey" neighborhoods of the upper NW get a lot of traffic, but it pales in comparison to that delivered by 50, 295, 395, 66, Pennsylvania Ave., N/S/E Capitol St., etc.
The man will always be the man...
I'm a white girl and I've gotten a ticket on MacArthur Blvd in Palisades/Gtown and one on Benning Road NE. The cameras don't discriminate- if you're speeding, you're speeding.
I once heard a traffic camera use the n-word. And as you can see from that picture, traffic cameras are all white, so it's not cool for them to use that word.
when are we going to have an article on the anti-semetic mailboxes?
i could swear everytime i pass by one of those old fashinoned black lamposts, i hear the word 'honky'
okay, here's what you need.
red light camera at key bridge and m street/canal road. imagine the money! that will teach you to not block the box.
speed camera on the whitehurst. why not already? every single car that drives on the whitehurst will get a ticket.
red light camera at social safeway. this was added soley because last night i saw jack evans make a left turn on red, no blinker, while talking on his cell phone.
these measures alone would make it so hell, we wouldn't have to pay income tax... plus then we'd be "targeting" virginia drivers as much as we do maryland drivers... and apparantly black drivers.
How did you people get nabbed by the MacArthur Blvd. camera? You can spot that thing from a mile away. The odd stripes on only one side of the road are a complete giveaway.. and if I recall correctly, there's even a sign to alert you (will have to check next time I go to Kotobuki).
I think some people don't understand the difference between speed-enforcement cameras and red-light cameras. While red-light cameras are in many parts of the city, many speed-enforcement cameras, like the Washington Times points out are in Northeast and Southeast. While I am not a traffic engineer, I think that there are many more streets, roads and avenues that handle higher amounts of traffic that moves quickly in the eastern quadrants. When you look at a road like New York Avenue, there are lots of large industrial properties and therefore fewer intersections, which can lead to higher speeds because you don't stop as much at traffic lights. Portions of Benning Road and Florida Avenue are like this too. There aren't too many large roads like this in Northwest.
One place where D.C. could catch a lot of speeders in Northwest is Canal Road. but the reversible rush hour one-ways and the stone wall might make it difficult to set up speed camera like there are in other places in D.C.
Now, now. Most of those mailboxes just feel that Palestinians are entitled to a reasonable quality of life. Sounds like you've spent too much time listening to those neoconservative fire hydrants!
Is there any theory so stupid that you can't find anyone in this city dumb enough to back you up on it? Maybe "Tony Williams is really a disguised Care Bear"? But someone would totally back that up to get in the paper. Hmm...
I've got it! "Most people in this city, black and white, are able to see past race and actually think before they spout off about the percieved slights inflicted upon them by the 'man,' who runs this city strictly for the benefit of the opposite race." Find me someone stupid enough to agree with that!
All the speed cameras that I have come across where just undercover cop cars holding cameras. These include one on Porter st (just east of Connecticut ave), on Michigan and North Capital, and on Cleveland Ave; 2 of those are in NW (admittedly, I hardly ever drive in SE though...). Also its kinda a dead give away that its a cop when you see a crown vic parked in a no parking zone. Furthermore the fact that the city PUBLISHES all of their speed camera locations to the public means that no one should ever get a ticket. Come on people, just do a little bit of research.
as a white resident of ward 7- i say bring on the cameras. I use benning rd. almost every day and since the cameras implementation, i've actually noticed less accidents *and* less congestion on that road when i go home. maybe people are avoiding it, maybe it's making people pace themselves, but i'm for it.
I'm opposed to setting up cameras on places like Canal Rd. or Whitehurst Freeway. The objective would be almost entirely to generate revenue, rather than address an actual traffic/safety issue.
Frankly, I'm not a huge fan of cameras period, but to the extent they use them, they should be at dangerous locations. If that happens to be the major thoroughfares out of town to the East, then so be it.
Oh and I hear that all the retired fire call boxes are totally nativist.
big brother is watching....
Wasn't there just an article on this like two months ago showing how like 70% of the speeding tickets were going to Maryland drivers anyway? Yes, there was: http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/03/27/morning_roundup_346.php
So how can black DC residents - or really ANY DC residents - say that they're being targeted?
Mike is right, some of the cameras people are talking about are red light cameras, like the ones on Conn Ave. There's one at Key Bridge and M St too:
http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1240,q,548257,mpdcNav_GID,1552,mpdcNav,|31885|.asp
However, I bet a speed camera on Porter Street NW around Rock Creek would catch a lot of people.
If the cameras are mostly aimed at commuter routes, which I understand is the case, and considering how few bridges over the Potomac there are, wouldn't you expect that roughly two-thirds of all cameras would be on the east side of the city?
The point is NOT that there are cams everywhere nor that the cams are inaccurate. The point is that there are MORE cams in some geographic locations than others. I think AAA pretty much agree that there seems to be a disparity. Therefore, if these cams are seem to have the main purpose of increasing revenues (at least a perceived notion), then it is unfair that one area (as always the poorest areas) will have the burden of this "tax".
The point is NOT that there are cams everywhere nor that the cams are inaccurate. The point is that there are MORE cams in some geographic locations than others. I think AAA pretty much agree that there seems to be a disparity. Therefore, if these cams are seem to have the main purpose of increasing revenues (at least a perceived notion), then it is unfair that one area (as always the poorest areas) will have the burden of this "tax".
I can tell you for certain there is not a red light camera at key bridge and m street. that is, unless it was installed yesterday.
Let's not forget that these cameras catch people violating traffic regulations. Calling it a tax, even in quotes, is simply incorrect.
Even so, Paul, I'm not sure what you want. Do you think traffic cameras should be equally distributed, despite whether the traffic conditions are good for camera use?
DCist Andrew:
There already is a speed camera on Porter by Rock Creek Park. It's right at the bottom of the hill before the bridge and targets traffic going westbound. It's a black crown vic in a no parking zone. I used to see it everyday on my way to and home from highschool.
how bout just obeying the frickin speed limit
dave, I think what he was talking about is the red light cam on M St/Foxhall/Canal St. (whatever it's called for that half mile or so) immediately west of the Key Bridge (i.e., at the Exxon station). It's been there for years. I think, however, that you're asking about a camera catching people coming north on the bridge turning right onto M, which I agree with you doesn't exist.
Please tell the MAN that we need a racist speed and redlight camera at 14th and Euclid NW, 15th and Florida, and 13th and Belmont -- all are places where redlight running and speeding cars endanger pedestrians (and especially African American Children). I promise you the drivers caught will be black, white and brown, but I bet most of them don't live in the neighborhood.
Please explain how it discriminates against me to have a camera in my neighborhood that makes safer the streets where I (and my kids) are walking). AAA is a pro-suburban, pro-car maker, pro-driving (not pro-driver...) flack that has no interest in making roads safer. They just want to make commutes faster.
How about we just make flogging the punishment for running red lights and speeding? That way you whiners get to save your pennies, and the rest of us get the ability to cross the street with the light, without getting run over.
In Japan drunk driving is often punished with a film showing what happens when you act irresponsibly, with carnage and all. Two police men sit in and make sure your eyes are open as you watch it; so much more effective than points.
Paranoia knows no logic, it's futile to even argue. I'd roll my eyes, but they're going to get dizzy from the vapid idiocy of these constant assualts on common sense.
Please tell the MAN that we need a racist speed and redlight camera at 14th and Euclid NW, 15th and Florida, and 13th and Belmont -- all are places where redlight running and speeding cars endanger pedestrians (and especially African American Children). I promise you the drivers caught will be black, white and brown, but I bet most of them don't live in the neighborhood.
Please explain how it discriminates against me to have a camera in my neighborhood that makes safer the streets where I (and my kids) are walking). AAA is a pro-suburban, pro-car maker, pro-driving (not pro-driver...) flack that has no interest in making roads safer. They just want to make commutes faster.
I think the more pertinent question might just be, "Is that headline a shameless attempt to generate clicks and user-generated content?" After all, there seems to be nothing DC residents love to discuss more than whether something is or isn't "racist." Of course, they found someone to quote -- argh. Listen, (as a black person and a DC resident) allow me to give the traffic cameras their James Brown pass. I hereby dub them officially Not Racist. Now, can we talk about something actually important, like, um, say, voting rights and how much longer before we get them?
I think it makes perfect sense to have racist cameras you know cause black people drive like this, but white people ... they drive like this.
wow, why is it so difficult for people to understand the point of this article. All of a sudden people start separating themselves between white and black...white drive like this and blacks like that. The point of this article is the bad distribution of the cams. No matter how you see it, these traffic fines are revenue for the city...(known to the rest of the country as 'hidden taxes').
They should be equally distributed throught all neighborhoods. The fact that there are more accidents on one road doesn't mean that people break the speeding law and ignore stop lights in those streets and the people in other roads do not. It means that the road is badly constructed, badly planned, more congested, etc, etc. So why not just invest in making those roads safer from the ground up.
The point is that there are more cams setup in one section of town. Set them up ALL over the place..in every road. It is irrelevant if there are more tickets given in one place...when the law is applied equally everywhere.
Paul - That was a reference, not a serious argument.
Obscure Simpsons reference strikes again!
Traffic cameras have caused me to have some very close calls and may possibly be responsible for accidents. Several times I have slammed on my brakes (not excessively speeding, just going with the flow)to avoid being caught in the intersection (16th st)with a yellow quickly turning red. I notice that the guy behind me is barrelling through with no intention of stopping for a yellow or red light. I have been forced to run red lights just to avoid getting hit. Fear of a $100-$200 ticket motivates me to stop for a yellow light, but do I want to risk injury in the process? No, but it's gonna cost me.
I hate to dredge up painful memories of drivers' ed for people, but it's THE LAW that should motivate you to stop for a yellow light, not your fear of a ticket. As my instructor told us repeatedly, that's what yellow lights actually mean: stop because the light is in the process of turning red. People wouldn't have nearly as many problems with these cameras if we all didn't drive like such crazed fools all the time.
gee whiz, people, here’s a thought. perhaps someone should look into exactly who it is that have the administrative jobs that decide where the cameras go... and more importantly, where they live. seeing how they are administrative jobs, I suspect they live in areas with higher real estate values and better schools... like, oh, I don’t know, in northwest, montgomery county and across the potomac. Now, I’m just guessing, but I suspect that these administrators are probably equally black and white. But one thing is for damn sure, white or black, they don’t want too many these cameras on their own commutes. So where is there going to be a disproportionately larger percentage of cameras? That’s right, on routes they don’t use themselves. The cameras, in and of themselves, are not racist and black neighborhoods are not being targeted. working class neighborhoods and working class commuting routes are inadvertently receiving a larger number of cameras because nobody behind the curtain is pulling strings to keep these cameras out.
if someone did a mashup of a DC pothole map in the winter, and a mashup of a DC traffic camera map, and superimposed the two maps on top of one another, there is no doubt you would see nearly identical maps.
if someone did a mashup of a DC pothole map in the winter, and a mashup of a DC traffic camera map, and superimposed the two maps on top of one another, there is no doubt you would see nearly identical maps.
Probably. But would you also get pretty much the same map if you just mapped traffic density?
I don't think so. a pothole on wisconsin avenue is more likely to be repaired than than a pothole on new york avenue simply because more important people use wisconsin avenue, regardless of traffic density.
If beaurocracy, red tape and favoritism were not factors in city government, than you would be correct.
"I don't think so. a pothole on wisconsin avenue is more likely to be repaired than than a pothole on new york avenue simply because more important people use wisconsin avenue, regardless of traffic density."
If importance had so much to do with getting potholes filled, Georgetown would be like an Indy Car track. Anyone that has actually driven through Georgetown would know that that isn't true.
drive through anacostia. Your car will be begging for m street.
Interesting theory.. I await your paper next spring after you've completed your study.
and if you’re talking about the cobblestoned side streets, you may want to consider the possibility that the residents of georgetown don’t want those to be repaired. cobblestones are like old timey speed bumps; and everyone knows how much rich folk love speed bumps on their streets. that just reinforces my point.
politburo, heh. touché.
Does anybody have any supporting data for their arguments besides conjecture? The number of traffic cameras in a quadrant positively correlates with the number of dangerous intersections in that quadrant. How is that classist, racist, or anything else? It seems to make sense that traffic engineers would target those intersections for enforcement that have demonstrated a higher risk of accidents and pedestrian fatalities, but perhaps my tinfoil hat is on a little too loose.