Cameras are affecting business in Heath

I volunteer at the American Red Cross is Newark and received one of those SPEED TRAP TICKETS. The same road, the same commercial type businesses in several blocks go from 50 mph to 35 mph. Just like the police car hiding behind the billboard in waiting for out of town people to ticket. Most will not dispute because of the inconvenience to return for the hearing. I did go to the hearing and in my 30 minutes there, all persons that received the ticket were between 45 to 50 mph, noone was driving unsafe on their expensive cameras and all were from out of town. I will NEVER DRIVE IN THAT AREA AGAIN or do business in the town of Heath until the removal of the SPEED TRAPS. The City of Heath is only hurting themselves. The persons making a profit on this do not care about traffic or speed or laws. It is about greed. You know who you are.

when you are coming into town there is at least two miles between the sign saying it will go to 35 miles per hour and the first camara. You should have had plenty of time to slow down from 50 miles per hour (unsafe on those roads), but you chose not to, sorry about your luck. It is certainly safer driving through there now than it was 6 months ago. As far as the town being greedy, when have you known a political machine that wasn't.

I have not received a ticket. But I have tried to do all our shopping in Newark since the cameras were installed. I would happy to see Heath businesses move to Newark.
There is no information it seems about the rules on these lights. Like if you are 2 miles over the speed limit will you get a ticket? If you are doing the speed limit and the light turns yellow as you enter the intersection do you get a ticket. Or should a person slam on their breaks and let the car behind hit them. What are the actual policies on this.

Nobody really seems to know what the actual rules are, I have had someone from Columbus tell me she was going 43 and ended up with a ticket sent to her. As far as the stop lights, they are not telling anyone, and so far I haven't heard anyone really say much about how they are set. I have ran a couple of yellows recently and have not gotten a ticket, so I guess it depends on who is looking the "evidence" over at the time. If I see the yellow, I will stop, but if I am almost to the light, I do not want to slam on my brakes and get slammed because the person behind me is talking on the phone and didn't notice the light change.

I recieved a "ticket" and now will NOT shop or drive through the city of Heath. These are "big brother" police tactics. It is all about the $$$$. Always follw the $$$

Why are Heath city officials spending tax payer money and resources on catching minor traffic violators instead of using such resources to catch pedophiles and thugs? The answer is MONEY! It has absolutely nothing to do with safety. The city has fined motorists a whopping $848,300 in the first 21 days of having speed cameras installed. How many residents of the city have seen any of this money? This is racketeering – plain and simple. Motorists are caught in speed traps and are unaware they have violated the law until they receive a ticket in the mail. How dirty is that? My wife and I used to go to Heath weekly to shop, go out to eat, see a movie, etc. We will never again visit that town for any reason unless the cameras come down. Heath has nothing more to offer the consumer than Lancaster, Newark, Zanesville, or East Columbus. City officials are just using “safety” as a façade to excuse their corrupt behavior. For more information on this, go to http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/28/2852.asp to find out what you can do to vote these criminal activities out!

zionawe wrote:

Why are Heath city officials spending tax payer money and resources on catching minor traffic violators instead of using such resources to catch pedophiles and thugs? The answer is MONEY! It has absolutely nothing to do with safety. The city has fined motorists a whopping $848,300 in the first 21 days of having speed cameras installed. How many residents of the city have seen any of this money? This is racketeering – plain and simple. Motorists are caught in speed traps and are unaware they have violated the law until they receive a ticket in the mail. How dirty is that? My wife and I used to go to Heath weekly to shop, go out to eat, see a movie, etc. We will never again visit that town for any reason unless the cameras come down. Heath has nothing more to offer the consumer than Lancaster, Newark, Zanesville, or East Columbus. City officials are just using “safety” as a façade to excuse their corrupt behavior. For more information on this, go to http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/28/2852.asp to find out what you can do to vote these criminal activities out!

First off by installing the camaras they are freeing the police officers on duty to be able to do something other than look for butholes like you. If you look at a sign that says 35 miles and hour is the speed limit and then look down and see 50 MPH on your speedometer then you "know" you are breaking the law. So if you cannot take your foot off the gas and follow the letter of the law don't drive through heath.

Where are the cameras in the school zones, residential area's, that crazy rediculious Indian Mound / Walmart area parking lots? Dont buy the hype, its all about the green. Traffic flow is down, buisness are hurting, and accidents are up, but the Heath budget is looking sweet. Lol Heath is a joke and I cant wait for it to be annexed into Newark. All hail the new New Rome.

Hey, Old Hippy, if you had read the comment I posted, you would know that I WON'T be driving through Heath. If the cops were taken away from catching "buttholes" like me, to catch REAL criminals, maybe they'd have a little more support. But you know as well as I do that's not the case. But then again, I'm guessing you're nothing more than an unemployed dope smoker with a mullet.

zionawe wrote:

Hey, Old Hippy, if you had read the comment I posted, you would know that I WON'T be driving through Heath. If the cops were taken away from catching "buttholes" like me, to catch REAL criminals, maybe they'd have a little more support. But you know as well as I do that's not the case. But then again, I'm guessing you're nothing more than an unemployed dope smoker with a mullet.

I did read your quote, and if you would rather not drive through Heath, that is fine. I was out-of-line with the "buthole" thing, that was actually uncalled for. Supposedly they are trying to free up the few officers that they have on duty at any given time. They will allow a certain amount of leeway on the speed limit, although They said in the paper that they would not ticket until 46, I know of at least one person who was ticketed at 43, so they don't always follow their own rules (suprise). That facts are if you are going over the speed limit whether you think so or not it is still breaking the law. So they have every right to ticket you. If a police man was watching and clocked you at 43 he would be within his rights to ticket you if he so chooses. Lastly, I do not have a mullet, I do have a job, I do not smoke dope, and I have a college degree.

Old Hippy, I was out of line too. I apologize. It's obvious many of us have different opinions, and we like to voice them. Having the freedom to do so is one of the many things that make our county great. I do hope the cameras come down because Heath is a fine place, and I'd like to return.

zionawe wrote:

Old Hippy, I was out of line too. I apologize. It's obvious many of us have different opinions, and we like to voice them. Having the freedom to do so is one of the many things that make our county great. I do hope the cameras come down because Heath is a fine place, and I'd like to return.

Zionawe, I personally do not really like the idea of camara watching everything that I may be doing at and given time, But I have to say that it sure seems a lot safer driving through Heath than it did last year. Before the camaras I have seen a lot of accidents just from say Kroger to Matthews Ford, usually rear ends. They could have easily been caused by someone trying to hard to stop and the person behind them not paying attention. I have always stayed at the or very close to the speed limit,(just how I was taught, mostly by my father), so I have not had to worry about either actual police or the camaras. I will admit that on occasions I have been over 40 when I was really pressed for time but those times were few and far between. I can understand that the business say they are losing customers because of the camaras. I was raised in Heath,it was always a great town, but do not live there now. I drive through that area everyday becasue it is the most direct route from my home to where I work.