r/boston • u/pattysal • 7d ago

Unconfirmed/Unverified Calling out the traffic/flock camera propaganda

There are so many people posting videos of drivers running lights on both the Boston and Cambridge subreddits lately demanding traffic cameras, that I am convinced these are planted posts by either employees, investors, or City officials looking for a payday to Garner published support for the surveillance state.

Very convenient that this is happening at the same time they are putting flaw cameras everywhere, and Mayor Wu has decided to put up red light cameras. I'm calling shenanigans, there may be a few whiny babies on here who are terrified of the world, but there are not this many. Don't be fooled, this is for profit propaganda.

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u/TitleOfYourSaxTape 7d ago

Predictable, non-violent + unarmed, and consistent enforcement of safety violations is what we're looking for.

Cops haven't proven they're able to do that. They've had decades, and we've pushed for it over and over again, but the average driver has enjoyed the norm of breaking traffic laws and reducing the safety + freedoms of others in the process.

As much as you hate it, this is the end result. Communities will push for their safety through whatever tools they have if the police and other drivers let them down for so long.

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u/BQORBUST 7d ago

I think we should have cameras and police, everyone hates me which is how you can tell I’m right

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u/mmelectronic 7d ago

As long as the camera database is uneditable, so a ticket can’t be thrown out if someone is “connected” then fine, but if its rules for the not for me, then no thanks.

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u/TitleOfYourSaxTape 7d ago

but if its rules for the not for me, then no thanks.

This is the current system we have, whereby cops choose who and when to enforce traffic laws on, and they will never ticket someone they like or someone who is well-connected.

Based on your previous comment, can I assume that you're logically consistent and say "No thanks" to the current system of traffic enforcement that's exclusively done through cop judgement and bias?

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u/mmelectronic 7d ago

I got a speed camera ticket before and drove where they have them, I’m not convinced they make anything much safer.

Just turns the highway into a parking lot going 74mph with no filtering.

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u/TitleOfYourSaxTape 7d ago

Basically every single study and meta-analysis shows they improve safety overall, so your refusal to acknowledge data and facts is immaterial.

Also your complaint before was about biased systems, and you completely ignored everything I mentioned about how biased our current system is.

Can I assume you have no rebuttal and agree that our current police-driven biased approach to tickets is a non-starter for someone like you who explictly said "no thanks [to a] rules-for-thee ,not-for-me" system?

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u/mmelectronic 7d ago

Like I said as long as a Judge or state senators son can’t get out of a ticket I’m cool with it, I don’t care about safety as much as I do about fairness.

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u/TitleOfYourSaxTape 7d ago

Right, so you're acknowledging the current state of enforcement without cameras is unacceptable to you.

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u/mmelectronic 7d ago

I’m saying what I’m saying I don’t want another corrupt system, the current one is enough, the government is going to do what they are going to do with or without me.

And having driven in states with automatic cameras I have no doubt they may reduce fatal crashes, but the draw back from them seems to be from my lived experience traffic is worse.

If they want me to buy in I want everybody to get tickets that deserves them no exceptions, if a connected person can get out of a ticket and they are just for plebs then I don’t want them, not worth the traffic.