DRIVE TIME
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Here's a little something for all of you who still love to hate traffic cameras:
In New Jersey, drivers on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike are monitored by not one, not two, but three different types of cameras.
• One to catch toll cheats.
• One to keep tabs on toll collectors.
• One to monitor traffic congestion.
All the cameras have been used at one time or another to solve crimes, according to the Star-Ledger newspaper of Newark.
In 65 cases over the last 15 months, highway officials turned over recorded video to police to investigate one misdeed or another.
Officials say that's a very small number of cases given the number of toll transactions every day. The American Civil Liberties Union, however, says new laws and a community dialog are needed to regulate use of the cameras.
Pedestrian safety
The Washington Post reports that fluorescent orange flags are catching on as a way to help pedestrians cross the street safely.
In the suburb of Chevy Chase, city officials have started providing the flags for pedestrians to carry before they enter an intersection. The pedestrians put back the flag in a holder on the other side of the street.
And later this year, Washington will finish outfitting every one of its signaled intersections — more than 1,000 of them — with "super-sophisticated, light-emitting-diode pedestrian countdown displays" which offer pedestrians more information about when it's safe to cross the street, the paper said.
H-1 Lanes to close
The state Transportation Department is warning motorists about lane closures in both directions of the H-1-Freeway this week.
The lane closures will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. between the Middle Street Tunnel and the Pearl Harbor Interchange.
Officials say motorists should expect delays in the area and allow for extra travel time and use caution while driving through the area.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
