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Please sign petition to allow local police to use radar

Jason Hochreiter started a petition to the PA legislature to allow local police to use radar to catch speeders. Please sign it. The bill for this is before the legislature but has never been able to get pushed through. We need to support it to get it passed. https://www.change.org/p/randy-vulakovich-pennsylvania-municipal-police-need-speed-detection-devices-to-track-speeding-motorists
jonawebb
2017-10-22 11:36:45
I just signed it!
zzwergel
2017-10-22 15:06:55
This is still only at 21 signatures. Please, everybody, sign it and share it. This is something that will really make a difference. Jason is going to present it to relevant legislators. He was told by them that a petition would help. He's willing to do the real work, all we have to do is to get people to sign online.
jonawebb
2017-10-23 03:18:40
Maybe they'll get to this issue after they complete the 4 months over due state budget.
edronline
2017-10-23 13:59:17
I signed - but I'm skeptical as the efficacy. My father, who is no-fooling old, tells me they gave speeding tickets before RADAR was even invented.  If they wanted they could have 3 or 4 unmarked cars crusing roads like Greenfield Ave, 2nd Ave, Fifth, Forbes, Shady (and thawt's just a little of the East End)  and giving out speeding tickets left and right If the will isn't there, the technology won't make much difference.    
mick
2017-10-23 16:10:38
My guess is that efficiency-wise that if that method was cost effective they'd still be doing that. Local pd doesn't do vascar because it requires 2 people. Labor these days is more expensive than the days your dad talks about.
edronline
2017-10-23 16:18:57
How does vascar require two people?                        
offtn
2017-10-23 16:47:16
This might be my mistake. I thought that you needed one person' to record time at each end. Regardless, if vascar was cost-effective then departments would be using it. It seems to be hardly ever used it all. Also, if it was custom effective other states would be using it instead of radar and Laser.
edronline
2017-10-23 17:04:31
Cars should be required to send out their speed via Bluetooth or WiFi so the police can use it in speed traps.
zzwergel
2017-10-23 17:22:51
Now we're getting somewhere—up to 35! Jason said the legislator told him a petition would help. So it might.
jonawebb
2017-10-23 21:03:38
Speed traps should be set up on Forbes Ave.(Uptown, Oakland, and CMU), 5th Ave.(Uptown, Oakland, and Shadyside), Penn Ave. (Point Breeze, eastern Wilkinsburg, western and eastern East Liberty, Strip District, and Churchill), Washington Blvd., Beechwood Blvd. (Greenfield), Browns Hill Rd. (Squirrel Hill), Bigelow Blvd. (Polish Hill and North Oakland), Gold Way, and Melwood Ave. (Polish Hill).
zzwergel
2017-11-15 18:04:29
Just talking with Jason; this is still in play. The house has until November 2018 to pass it (one year from when the Senate passed it).
jonawebb
2017-12-14 18:43:28
Don't bills die at certain point once the session is over?  When is that point? Edit: mybest guess is that they will die after 12-31-2018 since this is the 2017-2018 term
edronline
2017-12-14 21:00:39
No, that's the point of my post. It has up to a year after it was passed by the Senate, i,.e. November 2018. Jason updated the petition. Important people to contact are in the House, especially Philadelphia. Somebody here must know people in bike Philly groups, right?
jonawebb
2017-12-14 21:17:48
Thanks, Jon for adding this important petition to the Bike Pgh message board. Please consider contacting leaders in the House's Transportation Committee to encourage them to vote FOR Senate Bill 251 in 2018. Contact information: John Taylor, Transportation Committee Chair, and/or William (Bill) Keller, Democratic Chair of the Transportation Committee. John Taylor: Email: jtaylor@pahousegop.com (215) 744-2600 or (215) 425-0901 or (717) 787-3179 Link to contact via his website: http://www.reptaylor.com/contact.aspx   Bill Keller: (215) 271-9190 or (717) 787-5774 Link to contact via the PA House website: http://www.pahouse.com/184/Contact/
jhawk1018
2017-12-15 11:52:37
I'm in
fultonco
2017-12-16 11:42:42
We dicussed this at the Squirrel Hill Bike-Ped meeting last night, with new information from Jason. The Senate Bill Jason referred to is SB 251. Here's a link: http://www.palegis.us/bills/?q=2017/0/N/SB251. Readshaw's companion bill is HB 43. Here's a link: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2017&sInd=0&body=h&type=b&bn=43 In this news story (http://www.pennlive.com/news/2018/03/camp_hill_lawmaker_says_new_bi.html) Rothman says he thinks SB 251 can't pass without changes. His bill is HB 2148, here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2017&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=2148 As I read the bills, they all bend over backward to make sure local municipalities don't create speed traps to generate revenue. The Senate Bill limits revenue from speeding tickets to 20% of local municipality revenue. Rothman's bill limits it to 1%. The current status is SB 251 is now in the Transportation Committee and waiting to be acted on as HB 43 (since January). Rothman says it can't pass as is, so maybe his more restrictive bill will. AFAICT no local legislators have taken a position on either bill. So it would probably be good to contact Frankel. You could even visit his office: Hon. Dan Frankel 2345 Murray Avenue Suite 205 Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412) 422-1774 Fax: (412) 420-2011 For reference here are the contacts Jason gave: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/House_bio.cfm?id=161 Hon. John Taylor 4725 Richmond Street Philadelphia, PA 19137 (215) 744-2600 Fax: (215) 744-2605 http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/House_bio.cfm?id=147 Hon. William F. Keller 1531 South Second Street Philadelphia, PA 19147 (215) 271-9190 Fax: (215) 952-1025 BTW if you know somebody who lives in Philadelphia it would be good to ask them to contact these guys. They may listen more to a constituent.
jonawebb
2018-04-13 10:44:25
If they make the take too low (a la 1 percent) there is no motive for the police to actually check for speed. It has to be a net + for the local community money wise, not cost more time in Police officer court time, etc. Tiny municipalities will have zero incentive to invest in the equipment.
edronline
2018-04-13 16:18:16
Speeding on US Highway 1 in Marathon, Fl is common as well.
zzwergel
2018-04-13 17:04:55