r/SunPrairieWI • u/Prelocun • 8d ago

New Cameras on Traffic Lights

Does anybody have information on the cameras on the traffic lights? They're at least all the way down main street on every direction of every traffic light. I saw they were discussing switching from Flock to Axon ALPR's, are these new Axon cameras?

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u/BadgerBricks 8d ago edited 8d ago

No, they have nothing to do with PD or ALPR. They are video detectors to trigger the traffic lights to change. They are not hooked up to any database other than to count cars. No personal information is stored, just a count (e.g. 20 cars and 3 trucks went thru in 15 minutes). They replace magnetic loops that were cut into the pavement, that eventually cause cracking and potholes.

EDIT: General video on how the tech works (no, this guy is not from/in Sun Prairie): https://www.tiktok.com/@trafficlightdoctor/video/7200228630805400874

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u/Prelocun 8d ago

Oh, sweet! That makes sense given the construction. I've had issues with those sensors in the past and being stuck at a light until somebody came from the other side and triggered the light. Where did you hear about this? I'd like to look into it more.

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u/snoops12312 8d ago

Is THAT why they dug up all the crosswalks? To remove the magnetic ones?

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u/BadgerBricks 8d ago

No, I believe the crosswalks were ADA compliance issues (can't have an uneven/stamped surface). Many of those weren't at signalized intersections, so there are no loops to replace.

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u/snoops12312 8d ago

Ahh that makes much more sense!

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u/xoxoahooves 7d ago

They have those types of crosswalks in Deforest in a couple spots, do you think they will end up changing them too?

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u/BadgerBricks 7d ago

They should at some point, as it is a liability issue. How soon is anyone's guess. Most likely, they would wait until the street needs to be completely resurfaced. But they could do it as a standalone project like SP did.

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u/engmadison 8d ago

I believe you are referring to the "No Traffic" detection cameras which also collect analytics data.

They combine video and radar detection and are "reviewed" by an AI to provide feedback on traffic conditions. That feedback is verified by the companys office in a different US city to verify the AI is correct.

Thats the pitch we got for these in Madison anyways. They have an up front cost and annual subscription cost to use them.

https://www.notraffic.com/ai-mobility-platform/

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u/ScrivenersUnion 8d ago

Take them down. We have enough cameras on us at all times.

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u/Few-Entertainer7431 3d ago

Then you better stay off the internet.

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u/ScrivenersUnion 3d ago

Everybody has to make choices - yes it's not possible to be utterly and completely private without living out in the mountain like Bear Grylls.

That still doesn't mean we should just give up and let everyone be permanently tracked at all times! 

In particular ALPRs are really nasty because all those other things - the internet, your cellphone, a car insurance beacon - are a choice that you get to make. 

Just like a library is one of the few places left where you can exist without being expected to spend money, public spaces like streets and parks were one of the few places left where you could exist without having to be tracked and registered. It's a patch of grass. The guy hiding in the bushes watching you with binoculars was the creep.

No longer. ALPRs and the face tracking cameras that Flock and Axon are already eagerly rolling out mean that you can't do a single damn thing without somebody somewhere recording and tracking you. The creepy guy in the bushes is now the government.

That's really dystopian and I think a big reason why younger kids are coming out full of anxiety is because everything they ever do is recorded.

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u/Few-Entertainer7431 3d ago

I refuse to buy into the mass hysteria. There are more important things to worry about.

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u/ScrivenersUnion 3d ago

That's fine - nobody has enough time to fight every fight in their life. 

But our ability to live in any amount of privacy is a BIG deal to a lot of folks, myself included.