Posted by Jon, a resident of the Danbury Park neighborhood, on Jul 15, 2009 at 3:43 pm

So when your walking through any intersection with your kids and dog, SMILE and son't pick your butt! LOL SCARY! I never like this disquised survalance! Big brother has the capability to watch our citizens actions big time. There are cameras on the street, in stores, in businesses. They have acces to our internet usage and patterns and our phone and cell converstaions as well. Kinda gives me the creeps!

Posted by J, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 15, 2009 at 4:10 pm

Perhaps they saw the guy who durn near tore the front of my car off this morning running a signal light on Santa Rita... I guess one can hope. Would be nice to imagine he won't continue to be a hazard that close to a school zone

Posted by Benjamin, a resident of the Gatewood neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 8:59 am

I'm all for anything that can help our finest to protect us.

Posted by Trevor Tooze, a resident of Livermore, on Jul 16, 2009 at 9:32 am

Blatant running of red lights has become a major comcern for sll good drivers. I am all for the new device. Don't run a redlight, and you don't have to worry.

Posted by resident, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 9:35 am

Why would anyone possibly care unless they are breaking the law and don't want to get caught? Don't want a ticket? Then hang up your stupid cell phone, pay attention and drive like an intelligent life form. I fully support the PD in any effort they make to cite drivers who put the rest of us at risk.

Posted by Han Solo, a resident of the Southeast Pleasanton neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 10:11 am

Do people really intentionally run red lights? I don't think so. Even in my most rebellious high school days I wouldn't have ever intentionally run a red light, nor would any of my rebellious friends. And we were as rebellious as it gets!

Did we also install new signs pointing out the new camera surveillance? Undisclosed and stealthy camera installs are not going to fix the problem unless they're accompanied by a sign telling the drivers that these cameras are "watching".

Posted by resident, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 10:15 am

I would love to see a decrease in red light runners, those who blow through stop signs, those who fail to stop before turning right on red, cell phone violators, and the list goes on. Unfortunately I feel we're still going to be saying, "where's a cop when you need it" ? Hmm, I wonder how much money was spent on "mole" ? PLEASE put it to use.

Posted by A, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Jul 16, 2009 at 10:50 am

Why can't the City just contract with the Company(s) who install camera systems in order to ticket red light runners? It seems like that would benefit the City financially (no personnel needed, just checks coming in the mail) and alleviate the need for the PD to patrol any of these intersections. Maybe then the PD could proactively stop crime in our City? Or do we pay them to write moving violation tickets? If so, can we increase their quota so we can make each Officer a profit center? Or is the theory of a City Dept paying for their Budget unobtainable?

Posted by Ben Franklin, a member of the Walnut Grove Elementary School community, on Jul 16, 2009 at 12:38 pm

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.

Posted by Judi, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 2:02 pm

Pleasanton has a real problem with red light runners. Try the intersection at Valley and Santa Rita in the afternoon after work. Anything the PPD can do to control that is great. If you haven't done anything wrong you really don't have a reason to be fearful. Are there some guilty red light runners out there?

Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Stacey is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

According to the articles which Jon posted links to, the cost of "The Mole" is $3000 each. Compare that with the cost of those red-light cameras at "tens of thousands of dollars each", not including their unsightly appearance. A problem caused by the red-light cameras is the increase in accidents (Web Link) and use of "The Mole" would appear to avoid that.

Given reduced cost, safety, and appearance, I think I'll prefer "The Mole". Although I do wonder how this device is supposed to differ from the small blue light signals.

Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Stacey is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

More on red-light cameras, yellow light timing, and city revenue: Web Link

Posted by Drexl, a resident of the Ironwood neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 2:44 pm

Lmao, this is not "Big Brother"; there is no privacy issue here at all; it is a tool for police to know exactly when the light turned red and see if cars are entering the intersection. The cop needs to be there to give the guy a ticket. Relax everyone, just drive safe and all is well...

Posted by Parent of Two, a resident of the Val Vista neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Parent of Two is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Don't run red lights.

Problem solved.

Posted by Anonymous, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 10:49 pm

To "Resident":

I wonder what is up with the pleasanton PD. They are often seen in back parking lots of churches around town. To my knowledge none of these churches have had issues with their property being vandalized so why does these cops hang out there doing nothing? It's not like they are close enough to the road to have a radar gun out to check for speed limit violations. Don't they have something else to do besides hang out and chat on their code 7? Or are they actually up to something?

Posted by new one, a resident of the Deer Oaks/Twelve Oaks neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 12:13 am

Maybe this new device can spot who has donuts and coffee also

Posted by Ginger Creely, a resident of the Valley Trails neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 11:11 am

Some years ago my daughter's car was hit and she was seriously injured by a person who ran a red light on Hopyard Road. Since that time I've noticed an increase in red light runners. I applaud the Pleasanton Police Department for their efforts to stop these red light runners and support them in the use of this new technology. They may be saving the life of someone you love.

Posted by P-town Dad, a resident of the Amador Estates neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 11:27 am

Great idea Pleasanton PD! Anything you can do to help reduce the red light runners at a lower cost is a creative solution to a real problem. I like having a Big Brother looking out for me! And I'll keep calling 911 everytime I see a drunk driver in Pleasanton...we've gotten 2 so far!

Posted by Mr. Soccer, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 3:52 pm

If we want to help prevent red light running than we need the police there to do so. I'm ok with that. The comment about cops hanging out behind churches is purity stupid. If you know anything about our great sue happy country then you know that they spend a lot of time doing paper work to cover their ASS. That's why!!

I had an idea sometime ago when they started making the crosswalks with count down timers. I like to know when I come to an intersection that the light is going yellow in 10 sec. so I know if I should start putting on the brakes or just keep on rolling. It saves fuel when you know what to do earlier rather than later. How many times do you have to jam on the brakes because the timing of the light just sucks from one signal to the next. When your the 1st car off the light and you drive at the speed limit and it goes yellow when your 200 ft from the intersection. That sucks!! it encourages you to go faster not slower! Better timing and better systems can make for better flowing traffic with less wear and tear on us and our equipment. Who is that signal Guru we have for the city now days?

Time to get thing rapped up and get ready for soccer practice.

Thanks

Mr. Soccer

Posted by Fuzzer Mole, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 5:04 pm

This will be great if they start catching the multitude of people turning right on the red from southbound Valley to westbound Stanley (across the street from McDonald's). Making a u-turn there is really dangerous because of the number of folks turning right on red not yielding.

Also the dolts like the woman that I saw pull out of McDonalds yesterday, heading east on Stanley. She is holding cell phone to her ear with her left hand, and using her right hand to hold the hamburger she is munching - talking and eating at the same time, with driving being her third priority.

The cops should be able to have a field day at this intersection.

Posted by Newt, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 5:08 pm

Fuzzer Mole,

I have seen the cops not yield when turning right on a red. Do you think a cop is going to give another cop a ticket? Maybe they will ticket the Mayor, she is perpetually in a fog.

Posted by Hector, a resident of the Happy Valley neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 5:12 pm

Good post Stacey. I have lived in Pleasanton a long time, and the yellow lights are definitley getting shorter. Its dangerous, becuase you are forced to either slam on the breaks and risk getting rear-ended, or not getting completely through the intersection before the light turns red (now with Senor Mole watching).

Posted by Longus McGee, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 5:17 pm

I liked the radar guns better. They gave the ticket-happy cops cancer of the doodads.

Maybe the cops should think about using these moles around Stoneridge Mall when the new BART station opens. Its going to be a thug convention over there.

Posted by Jake, a resident of the Heritage Valley neighborhood, on Jul 17, 2009 at 11:04 pm

Longus, do tell? Can you decribe "thug" exactly?

A) Where will these thugs be from?

B) What will they llok like?

C) How will they act?

D) How will they dress?

E) What will they talk like?

F) What color will they be?

G) What language will they speak?

Please tell us!

Posted by Longus McGee, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Jul 18, 2009 at 5:48 am

Jake,

Send you mother, wife or daughters over there after dark once the station opens. They can find out and report back to you. A really good time to do that would be New Year's Eve - that seems to be a particularly good time for excitement around BART stations.

Jake, would you like me to describe left-wing loon for you?

Posted by Really PO'ed, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 18, 2009 at 7:00 am

What we really need to have is the Fastrack system they use on the toll bridges, so Pleasanton could levy a toll on all the Livermore and Dublin cut-through traffic! I am still really PO'ed how Livermore and Dublin conspired with Alameda County to give Pleasanton the shaft -- really PO'ed. They basically said we're going to stuff our cut-though traffic up you whatsits and your going to smile while we do it. What do you say folks - how about a toll for the cut-through mob? Hey, Mayor Turncoat - are you tuned in to this little gathering?

Next thread will be how Idiot Moonbeam wants to stuff a slew of low-cost housing up our whatsits. Hey, Mayor Turncoat, are you going to do something about that, or are you still preoccupied dealing with the fact that Obama stiffed you?