So, the viewing conditions in Ottawa for the lunar eclipse last night were very good.  Clear skies and no weird thermal distortions blurring the sky.

Though I only had my point-and-shoot camera with me, I was able to take a number of photos with it by bracing it, holding my breath and clicking the button.

To the right is a cropped photo of the moon as it was a couple of minutes after totality.

I’ve got a few more photos that I took with my digital SLR that I haven’t processed yet, but you can view what I’ve taken so far in my gallery.  I’ll post the photos from my SLR there when I’ve processed them.

Darin has posted a few pictures he’s taken in his blog.

It’s official: I’m sick of winter.  And so is almost everyone I know.

At 12:10 PM Eastern, Franktown radar, which is located between Smiths Falls and Carleton Place, is showing the leading edge of the freezing rain, snow, rain, frogs, ice pellets, and other charming weather that we’re going to be receiving this afternoon.

The aviation forecast for Ottawa is saying that we can expect the snow to start around 1 PM Eastern, followed by freezing rain that will probably start around 2 PM.  Around 6 PM it’s probably going to start raining.  And it’s going to be windy to boot.

TAF CYOW 171738Z 171818 06010KT 6SM -SN SCT020 OVC050 TEMPO 1819 2SM
-SN VV015
FM1900Z 08010G20KT 6SM -FZRA BR SCT008 OVC020 TEMPO 1923 2SM
-FZRA BR BKN008 OVC020
FM2300Z 16012G25KT 2SM -RA BR OVC006 TEMPO 2311 1/2SM -RA BR
VV002
BECMG 0507 20010KT
FM1100Z 23012G22KT 2SM -DZ BR OVC006 TEMPO 1114 6SM -RA BR SCT006
OVC012
FM1400Z 24015G25KT P6SM SCT020 TEMPO 1418 BKN020
RMK NXT FCST BY 21Z=

My lack of enthusiasm over this is overwhelming.  How about you?

The press was reporting yesterday that the taxi union met recently and have decided that they’ll allow the cameras to be installed, but only if they get to pick the system.  The city has identified a system made by VerifEye Technologies which reportedly costs about $1500.  The union is complaining that this is too expensive.

While looking through VerifEye’s website, I came across the results of a study conducted by the City of Portland where they evaluated a number of different camera systems and determined that the images captured by VerifEye’s systems were better than the others.  (The results are also available in a PDF.)

Since the photos are going to be used by the police, it is reasonable to assume that you want the highest quality photos possible.  If you crop a photo to zoom in on someone’s face, you don’t want it to be all pixilated and fuzzy.  You want it to be clear enough that the individual can be identified.  Otherwise, there’s really no point in having the camera.

It’s been suggested in a comment on my other entry that perhaps the taxi drivers have spent the money they’ve been collecting that was specifically earmarked for the purchase of the camera systems.  This bears further investigation.

So, let’s look at how much money may have been collected by a cab driver since the city started allowing them to collect a extra money on each fare specifically to help pay for the camera systems.

Assumptions:

1. Each cab is on the road 6 days/week, or 300 days/year (allowing for 2 weeks of vacation).
2. Each day a driver has 10 fares.
3. The average fare is $15.00 according to the meter.
4. They are allowed to collect $0.05/fare plus the difference between 7% and the current GST rate.  Because the GST has been dropping, let’s assume this to be 1.5% average for the period.
5. As of today, they have been collecting the surcharge for 2.37 years (30 September 2005 to 16 February 2008).

Calculations:

(Fares_per_day) * (days_per_year) * (((gross_fare – flat surcharge) * difference_in_GST)+flat_surcharge) * (number_of_years) = amount_collected

= 10 * 300 * ((($15.00-$0.05) * 1.5%) + $0.05) * 2.37

= 3000 * $0.27 * 2.37

= $822.75 * 2.37

= $1957.48

Conclusion:

If my assumptions are reasonable (and I have no idea if they are), it appears that a driver will have collected enough money to offset the cost of the camera system.  Even if my assumptions about the number of fares carried in a year are overstated by 100%, you can still see that a driver has probably collected enough money to take (most of) the sting out of the one-time investment of $1500.  This is further offset by the reduction in crimes against drivers that have been experienced in other cities when camera systems were installed.  I can’t understand why there would be so much resistance on the part of the drivers when they will experience the benefits first-hand.

Ultimately, this is one of the costs of doing business if you’re a cab driver in Ottawa.

(Ottawa) – At 3:15 am, Wednesday February 13, 2008, a taxi driver was robbed by two male fares in the Elmvale Acres area (Saunderson Dr. near Colson Ave.). The driver was assaulted, money was taken, and when the driver exited the taxi to escape, the males drove off with the taxi. The taxi was recovered nearby a short time later. The driver was not seriously injured during the incident.

The suspects are described as white males, 30-40 years of age.

The robbery is being investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division’s robbery section. (taken from an Ottawa Police Service news release on 13 February 2008)

The City of Ottawa wants to make the installation of cameras in Ottawa taxi cabs compulsory.  While it’s getting a lot of coverage in the media right now, it’s not a spur of the moment idea.  Two and a half years ago, they granted a 5 cent/fare surcharge plus the difference between 7% and the GST specifically to help offset the eventual installation of taxi cab camera systems.

The head of the taxi cab drivers’ union, on the other hand, would have you believe that this is a horrible financial burden and untenable invasion of privacy and that his drivers will not bend to city hall’s will on this matter.

In April 2007, CBC reported that Coventry Connections, the largest taxi operator in Ottawa, was planning to equip all its vehicles with cameras by the end of 2008.

The camera system the City has specified costs about $1500.  In addition to recording a visual and audio record, the system apparently records braking action and steering inputs.  It’s been likened to a black box recorder used in commercial aircraft.

The union complains this is unreasonable and asks of all the modes of public transportation — school buses, regular buses, taxis, and so on — why are they being singled out?

A fair question, so I decided to do a little googling to see if I could find out.

What I found out is that in November 2007, OC Transpo decided to run a six-month pilot project and equip 265 buses with cameras, similar to the ones that will be used in the taxis, that will watch over the drivers and passengers.  If the pilot project is deemed successful, then the entire fleet will be outfitted with camera systems.

One of the goals of the cameras is increasing safety while reducing taxicab crime.  Shortly after being introduced in Winnipeg in May 2002, taxi cab drivers were reported a reduction in fare jumpers and rowdy passengers.  In the calendar year 2002, there was a 71% reduction in serious taxicab crimes.  When you compare 2003 with 2001 (the year before the cameras were installed), robberies and other serious taxicab  crimes are 79% lower.  This is particularly impressive when you consider that crime in the City of Winnipeg increased by 10.5% during the same period.  The police reported that arrest rates increased from 35% in 2001 to 50% and 66% in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Other Canadian cities, such as Toronto and Vancouver, require taxi cameras, so this Ottawa is not doing something never before done in Canada.

The union did raise concerns about who will have access to the information.  A spokesperson for the city indicated that while the policy isn’t currently defined, they would be working it out with Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner by the time the cameras must be installed.  This seems reasonable to me.

The bottom line is this:

• Crimes against both taxi cab drivers and passengers alike have taken place in Ottawa cabs.
• When camera systems have been installed in other cities the number of taxi cab crimes has dropped significantly.
• Taxi cab drivers have been collecting 1% to 2% extra from every fare they’ve carried in the last two and a half years. 

Any point is a strong argument supporting their adoption.  Combined, they more than outweigh the $1500 price tag.

Or does the taxi cab union believe that the safety of their members and passengers, also known as clients, isn’t worth a one-time investment of $1500 per cab?

It’ll be interesting to see if the union changes their mind in light of the assault, robbery and theft experienced by the taxi driver mentioned in the Ottawa Police Services news release I quoted above less than one day after they protested against them in front of city hall.