Camera Traps Work!

So, camera traps really do work. They can capture images of rare giant squirrels in Indonesia. They can demonstrate that bait hung in trees is not eaten by gigantic Australian goannas, but by birds. Camera traps have yet to capture proof of sasquatch, but they catch law-breakers all the time.

There are signs up all over here about photo enforcement of the traffic laws. Maya hears people complaining about it all the time at work. In the invasion of privacy versus protection of public debate we tend to come down on the side of cameras at intersections. If you aren’t speeding or running red lights, what’s the harm right?

The only problem with all this is that you have to know what the speed limit is. When you don’t, you become the law-breaker and the photo surveillance camera trap catches you! Matt knows, he got photographed going over the limit sometime earlier this month and we just got a nice letter from the Traffic Enforcement Office asking us to place pay their hefty fine. There is a statement of technology information page included that actually makes for pretty interesting reading. Apparently, at the moment of the offending speed we were having a good time talking about something. They also include a copy of the pictures they took of driver and license plate, to show they really mean you. Matt looks very happy in the photo.

He says that all those arguments about privacy, the anger at being spied on and the suspicious “Big Brother is watching” feelings that we had dismissed as valid arguments before feel a lot different when it happens to you. That anger passed though and we both still support photo enforcement, we just pay closer attention to posted speed limits now. That is the point of the enforcement, after all.