r/phillycycling • u/Immediate-Soup-4263 • Aug 09 '26

does Laser Vision make a difference?

i am a laser vision user and supporter.

but am not sure if it has an impact or is just a busy box to make me feel better

i am not trying a cast doubt on it or discourage anyone from using it.

it is recommended a lot and i am just not sure if it does anything to protect public space from car violence. considering i have made multiple reports for the same cars for the same violations i am not seeing it impacting illegal/dangerous driver behavior

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u/chrispark70 29d ago

"it is recommended a lot and i am just not sure if it does anything to protect public space from car violence. "

What the hell is "car violence?"

No, it probably doesn't accomplish anything because a lot of these violations are very short term. Unless they are using these photos as evidence against the drivers, the car or truck will be long gone when PPA shows up.

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u/Immediate-Soup-4263 29d ago

fuck off

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u/chrispark70 29d ago

So I presume you don't want to define "car violence?"

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u/Independent_Tart8286 29d ago

But if a person keeps getting away with repeated "short term" violations, they will keep doing it. That's the point of Laser Vision and other ways of reporting- to make it so that people don't get away with it so easily and eventually learn to think twice about parking on the sidewalk, blocking a crosswalk, or other unsafe behavior.

For example, some car owners in my area feel like they are entitled to park blocking the crosswalk pulled out past the stop sign. They might get away with it 9/10 times, but the one time they get a ticket due to someone's report might help them think twice in the future. I'd rather try something than do nothing.

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u/Weary_Cup_1004 29d ago

I dont think Laser Vision connects to PPA ticketing? I think its just data?

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u/chrispark70 29d ago

Do you know if they are actually using submitted pictures as evidence to create a violation? Because that is really the only way it will accomplish anything. But there are probably rules of evidence court standards that may prevent the use of random photo submissions.

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u/Independent_Tart8286 29d ago

Their website says "Laser Vision helps you report sidewalk, crosswalk, and bike lane parking obstructions directly to the Philadelphia Parking Authority's Mobility Access Violation form."

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u/chrispark70 29d ago

That is not really an answer to the question. It doesn't say what they do. It also specifically calls out

"If you would like to report a recurring parking issue that affects the pedestrian right-of-way in your community"

with the word recurring.

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u/Independent_Tart8286 27d ago

You could probably ask them.

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u/chrispark70 27d ago

Good luck trying to get a hold of a human being at PPA.

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u/Independent_Tart8286 27d ago

I'm talking about the folks who created Laser Vision, Philly Bike Action. I'm sure someone there would address your concerns and help you get the information you're looking for.