[Teriyaki]

Been meaning to ask this question every time I drive past an intersection with these cameras installed. They're not red-light cameras. They look like traffic/video cameras and they're installed on top of the traffic light.

Seems like all of Granville avenue has been tagged with these cameras, at almost every intersection. Anyone know what the deal is with them? What are they for?:considered:

[boatcaptain]

i guess is for flow of traffic

[LP700-4]

IIRC they are sensors for emergency vehicles which trigger them by the strobe lights and make all of the sides of traffic red.

[yray]

it's to monitor the number of clais that enter the intersection illegally :troll:

[HellaProperFit]

What he said.^

[Ronin]

Traffic cams?

[jlenko]

Pic of said camera?

[SkinnyPupp]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-TEUEU1JBOg/R7ldMQhNjlI/AAAAAAAACQI/G4HW6GAjwXo/s400/Big+Brother.jpg

[Spectre_Cdn]

Do you mean these cameras,
http://aug-cdn.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/superphoto/editorial/images/feed/msms/photos/4638606.jpg

that produce these images/video(I think)?
http://prd.images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/cameras/190.jpg

As mentioned, I think they're used for monitoring traffic.

[Teriyaki]

Yes those are the cameras in question.

My concern is what are the ramifications of having cameras like this all over our neighbourhood. It seems like a slippery slope.

Are they used proactively by law enforcement? Is the footage publically viewable? Is it recorded in any way?

[Yodamaster]

IIRC they are sensors for emergency vehicles which trigger them by the strobe lights and make all of the sides of traffic red.

The cameras on the local traffic lights are just cameras, not the recievers you're talking about. We do have (roughly) the type of system you're talking about though.

[BrRsn]

The cameras in some cases are used to trigger traffic lights (instead of having the circular metal sensors in the road, an example of this is the mcdonald's on marine drive just west of main street. When coming out of the mcdonalds to get back onto marine drive westbound, no sensors, just a camera).

Works a little better than the sensors because motorcyclists can actually trigger the light to change whereas with the circular sensors it takes a car