Residents to weigh trash, camera plans

Tomorrow night, town officials will hear whether Chelmsford thinks adopting a new trash-collection system stinks, or traffic-light cameras are a go.

[fastherb]

Most people, most, run lights b ecause they don't want to jam on their brakes or have the guy behind hot them because in too many instances, the yellows are on for too short a time. In many places in Europe and Canada the green blinks a few time before turning yellow which allows just enough extra warning.
Before we spend a fortune on cameras and further tie up an inefficient outmoded court system with this sort of junk..."Let's try a bit of official imagination" toward reducing the problem.! Too much to ask ??, Apparently !

[DUH]

Red-light cameras are designed to take a picture of a car’s license plate if the driver runs a red light. According to study after study, rather than improving motorist safety, red-light cameras significantly increase crashes and therefore, endangering lives & raising insurance premiums
Six U.S. cities have been found guilty of shortening the yellow light cycles below what is allowed by law on intersections equipped with cameras meant to catch red-light runners. Those local governments have completely ignored the safety benefit of increasing the yellow light time and decided to install red-light cameras, shorten the yellow light duration, and collect the profits instead.
I recently had a car stolen and it was found totally stripped and I had to pay $130 for a tow. I’m sure if the thief went through a red-light camera, they would have sent me a ticket also. These cameras take a picture of the license plate, not the person driving that is responsible for the infraction.
This red-light proposal is about sucking more money out of your pocket.

[TmTm]

I agree with the 2 top post, it's just common sence, too bad in the state of MA the almighty dollar over rules common sence and safety

[Rod]

Another example of government bleeding the taxpayers more and more.

[Big Brother]

the camera/tickets are unconstitutional; period! the town will spend more money defending against people who choose to go to Court and fight the ticket than they will receive in revenue from the "sheep" who just pay them without a challenge.

[Pay in advance]

It now costs $25 to appeal a ticket to a clerk-magistrate. If you don't win there, it costs another $50 to appeal to a judge. Even if you win (at either level), you are out that money - you don't get it back.

Because of that, I think there won't be so many appeals as you expect.

I'd like to know just how those fees are not unconstitutional.

[jean]

I think that the new trash system in Billerica is great. Now here comes the but.... it is not fair for families of 1 or 2 have the same amount of rubbish barrels as a family of 6. A lot of famlies can't afford to buy an additional barrel and pay the yearly charge for the extra one.

[John]

I too have read many articles and news reports on red light cameras and they are a horrible idea (see posts 1 and 2). Please Chelmsford vote against this. By the way lets not forgot that it was Deval Patrick who recently signed a bill allowing towns and cities in MA to have red light cameras. Don't re-elect this scumbag!

[Musty Mike]

jean wrote:

I think that the new trash system in Billerica is great. Now here comes the but.... it is not fair for families of 1 or 2 have the same amount of rubbish barrels as a family of 6. A lot of famlies can't afford to buy an additional barrel and pay the yearly charge for the extra one.

Maybe - but my family of two doesn't like paying for your family of six's public education or being subjected to a water ban becuase you family of six uses too much water

[kJNJKN]

Trash collection should be based on property tax.. If I pay double another resident in tax I should get twice the allotted trash collection. I have to pay for more then one barrel when I pay $7000 in taxes ? Wheres is this money going? Surely not my road..

[inconvenient facts]

some people dream of things that are taxed and ask why?

Mass democrats dream of things that have never been taxed and ask why not?

.....this is a money grab pure and simple with the illusion of better public safety, although as people have pointed out these cameras cause more accidents....

....look at the money grabs over the just the past few years.... taxing trailors as homes??.... override attempts???...a new taj for dpw/fire....40b welfare for builders....now trash and big brother cameras....when will these clowns actually make some tough decisions?....dump the defined benefit pensions for police/fire/school....dump cadillac health care for the same and dump the built in step raises .....the clowns on bacon hill rig the deck so that each town is unable to control their costs so their only choices are layoffs or service cuts....mass legislature has forced towns to run up huge amounts of unfunded liabilities and are still whistling past the graveyard....in a few years bankruptcy will be a real possibility

[The Patriot]

The new trash pickup is a rip off. One barrel and if it doesn't fit you pay extra. The red light cameras are a GREAT idea, if you stop nothing to worry about.

[citizen]

We have 6 in my house, so far the trash system has been working fine for us, we haven't gone over once.
I did a whole clearing out before it started, but I an going to dread when things start piling up like old lamps or fans when they break. We used to be able to just toss them in the trash, now they would take up too much barrel space.
I wish they had a twice yearly pick up for junk that that.

[Enough is Enough]

My issue is that we keep paying more for less services. 1 40 gallon trash barrel is proposed, it's currently 4 32 gallon. Our propertly taxes will be going up 7.5% next year based on the propsed new tax rate. What will we get for the increase...when home values rise again, will they put in motion a decrease?

[Lowellian]

I like the new trash system - if you recycle the limit does not really present a problem. I do wish/hope that there is a Once or twice/year junk pick-up. The trash system really makes question whether your really need stuff and how you are going to get rid of it when the time comes. I just hope we don't get a bunch of old lamps and other junk landing on the side of roads or rivers.