I thought Al Gore said things were heating up. If so this is a monumental waste of money.

Gleaning a modicum of tangential reasoning from the invectives and hyperbole that officerfriendly1 espoused proved challenging, but none the less he has a point?
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What will the cameras solve?
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Outside of entertaining the rest of us, who happen to be home and have access to the Internet, this won’t solve the core problem that initiated the jam, namely keeping the Federal Interstate clear!
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The core problem appears to be inadequate Management processes / personnel, at both the County and State level. No amount of money, or tools is going to fix that!

I was in Rockford plowing all day that day, and had no problem driving. I noticed it getting bad at about the state line. Illinois wasn't too bad, but I guess they bought enough salt? (that was the real issue)

Again, I have to say, if this country is so aweful to a part of..."This used to be a wonderful country"... you are more than welcome to pack your bags and search for a better place to live - let us all know when you find it... better yet, don't- - true Americans already know where it is.

Ok, you crack me up. Silent Majority??? If their SILENT - How do you know it's a MAJORITY??
You go about your thoughts, I think your actually part of a MINORITY but because I value the FREEDOM of speach, you go ahead an have it - given other views expressed here I do believe you're a part of it (minority that is!)

Officerfriendly- due to those taxes you pay that you aren't happy about... you have the RIGHT and FREEDOM to express your views - - no matter how self-centered they are - - because of the wonderful country you live in!!!!

If you're so unhappy about the taxes, pack your bags and move!

Uncharacteristically, officerfriendly left a statement unfinished some bit down below: "Less government, less taxes, more freedom." He forgot to add "for uncontrolled bottom-line corporate greed to run amok ripping us off." These guys would get the government off promiscuous profiteers' backs, but applaud when it enters our personal bedrooms.

officerfriendly---I work in madison and live in janesville. I work at a hospital and drive I90 every night, rain or shine. I can't just not come to work if there is a snow storm. Lots of people have jobs that they can't just not show up in bad weather. Hospitals are open 24 hrs a day in case you didn't notice. If you were in the hospital the day of the storm I wonder how you'd feel of those IDIOTS decided not to come to work and you had no one to take care of you. Stop being such a jerk, its just not cool, man!

How about we all ignore "officerfriendly1" who obviously is stuck in a self-centered mindset and cannot be moved no matter what.

Liberal feel good programs? Traffic cameras are used for a variety of purposes. Verifying accident locations, weather alerts, locating fleeing criminals, and most importantly they can be used for Amber Alerts. If a parent can get a child back alive because of a traffic camera than I'm all for it. If you were a real "Officer" than you would know all this. Otherwise you're just another troll with a keyboard.

Officerfriendly, my husband CHOSE to go to work because he's a RESPONSIBLE employee!!

Shall I assume that you have the type of job that allows you the luxury of calling in to your employer for a day off whenever you wish? Would that be an employer that my taxes are used for to pay your wages??? Given your username this is where I make my presumptions!

I can only question your intelligence by your comments and assumptions. You must be aware of EVERY situation that EVERY person was in on that given day that led to them being on the roads. That's pretty impressive!!

And one more note to make, how many times have we had forcasts that aren't accurate???

mark707, it is far more likely that the fault is in the web server relaying the images to you than in the cameras themselves.

sorry, typo, I should have put "SUN MAY 25,2008" not 2998.

Don't count on those cameras to help.
I checked the traffic cameras in the Madison area a few times today...the cameras all show dark /night time and read:
"SUN MAY 25,2998 1:12:59 AM".
I guess that there was no traffic yesterday or today so they decided not to upgrade the so-called "LIVE" images.
I saw this happen a number of times last winter also. And, in heavy snow, you cannot see anything anyway even if the cameras are turned on or upgraded.

Ok first of some of you guys are ignorant, officerUNfriendly being one. I sure do hope you don't really patrol the streets of Janesville. Not everybody has the luxury of staying home on a snow day. Over half of the vehicles stranded were trucks who drive for a living. They had nowhere else to go as all the truck stops were already full and overflowing. As far as the cars go, in a snow storm the interstate is the first road to get plowed. One would think that I-90 would have been the safest road that day. But had the DOT has the knowledge that municipalities were calling plow trucks in of the road and not plowing anymore, they probably would have closed I-90 earlier. This is were the gates and cameras com into play. They don't need the communication from local governments to make the call, they can just look at their monitors. And lest we forget that the I-90 corridor is one of the busiest roads in the midwest. Not all of those stuck were from WI and listen to the local radio stations. Many did not know the extent of the storm until it was to late. Maybe foolish, but not idiotic.

These cameras were purchased way before the blizzard debacle, so apparently someone figured they had a legitimate purpose other than this particular incident.
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They were not installed at the time of purchase because of funding problems at that time.
So the cameras are not a "knee-jerk" reaction, but the installation at this time may be.
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But again, I don't know the original reason for the cameras, but it was NOT the blizzard.

officerfriendly1 some of us work pay check tp pay check and can not afford the luxury of staying at motels etc even in an emergency. then what?

Just my 2cents, yes people were told to stay off the roads, BUT people had to go to work that day! My husband being one of them! His employer decided shortly after 1pm or so, along with many other business if I recall, to close up for the day. So tell me, how are those people, who reported to their places of employment, considered "idiots" when they had find their way home after their employer sent them home? Just because someone works in Janesville does not mean they reside in Janesville.
I find it interesting how quick readers are to be judgemental and name callers. Step back and think before doing so is my advice.

Acctually, the state was already paid by the US government to install them.

they were told to stay OFF the roads . they got what was coming for them!!! give all the emergency respponse people a break. they risked there lives for peoples stupidity

I guess I don't understand the point of cameras. In the event of emergency, bad weather, etc. a camera can't do anything but show us how bad it is for the stranded folks. We already knew it was bad, we just couldn't get them food, water or gas.

Maybe the camera stands will have little canisters like at drive-up banking windows where they can send necessities after the obligatory, "Hello. You're on candid camera."

You see them all Up and down the Interstate Highways in Nebraska, Kansas, and the mountain states, sure we may not need to use them, but they will be (at least) in place if we need them... I am All for it