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Print 6 Comments January 26th , 2012 11:35 am

Reader advocates speed cameras for local highway

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Editor:

The Saturday 01/21/12 Bristol Herald edition, Page A5 has a detailed article on the increased general fund revenue that Bluff City has experienced from the speed cameras they have set up on US 11E. The revenue from the speed cameras escalated their general fund intake from property and sales taxes combined by approximately five hundred percent (500%).

The portion of the Carter County highway where all three of the subject highways run concurrently not only would provide an escalated revenue source for the county, but also would provide a significantly improved safety factor without lowering the speed limit in the aforementioned length of three concurrent route designations without lowering the existing speed limits of 45/55 mph in the aforementioned length of highway. That stretch of highway through the business district with the multiple at-grade crossings (without traffic signals) provide vehicular entry/egress from the numerous businesses along the south side (and a few on the north side) of the subject highway. When I drive through that particular stretch of highway at 55 mph there is a never ending procession of traffic passing in the left lane with some I would estimate at the rate of 80 mph or more.

I am personally aware of a minimum of two wrecks in that stretch of highway since Thanksgiving 2011 (two months), where victims have been removed from the scene via helicopter. I believe that the EPD, CCSD and THP have copious quantities of vehicular accident reports from this extremely hazardous stretch of highway. So, if the speed cameras would be successful in minimizing traffic speed in that area the benefit could be twofold; for the taxpayers of Carter County as well as the personal injuries and deaths which could be averted.

Dale Moeller

Elizabethton

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Comments

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1629047639 Oneeyeddog Cole

    keep the speed traps out of carter county and elizabethton

  • Anonymous

    No, bring the camera’s to Elizabethton and Carter county! We have speed limits, obey them and a camera won’t be a problem! If we can raise revenue by doing this we should install them here. Perhaps we can get some property tax relief from this!!

    • Anonymous

      I have been through many city and county tax records and there is not a single acount of there being a tax reduction. Most of the time tax rates rise, because the elected officials get greedy. So what will happen in Eliz. and CC were our officals are already full of greed.

      • http://www.puff.com Tim

        Exactly, it doesnt matter how much more money the city gets it will always find another reason for keeping or raising the tax rates. If you really want to fix the problems concerning high prop taxes get rid of the crooked officials in ELizabethton and stop depending on the citizens to pay for their greed.

  • Anonymous

    I totally agree, bring on the cameras!!! Maybe with cameras in place people would obey the traffic laws and speed limits.

  • http://www.puff.com Tim

    The rest of the country is removing speed cameras while good ol Elizabethon is just discovering them. People need to read the research done concerning red light cameras and speed cameras and realize that while they may increase revenue they also create more accidents. This is why states, especially out west like AZ and CA, are removing them from service.
    I for one dont want to live in a city, state, or country that controls its citizens by the threat of video surveillance. It sounds great until its used against you and the people of this sheltered town will soon find that out.

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