The ordinance is still in effect right? The only part they took out was "...or anything else we feel like giving you a ticket for."

I'm going to take a run at a couple of these and scoot. Gambitof Troy, you are absolutely correct... texting and phone use is still very much covered under the ordinance. The catch all reason for pulling you over for any reason, is out. Read below I'll address a couple other non concerns.

One comment on this Cathy... we've not had a distracted driving ordinance since the 50's in Troy. The big change here is the advent of texting and cell phones. People have been eating and drinking in their cars since I was a kid. I'm pretty sure I watched my dad shave in his car growing up. Cell phones and texting are still covered under the ordinance, and we have careless and reckless driving tickets that can be issued if need be. You and your family are no less safe today than you were last week.

Dave: If your father shaved while driving, I would consider that to be reckless driving! I hope he wasn't using a straight razor. In drivers training, they taught that the driver is ALWAYS responsible for being in control of his vehicle. You suggest that my family is just as safe as it was last week. I disagree. I saw a marked improvement in distracted driving since this ordinance was enacted. Good God, Dave, you drive a motorcycle. You should recognize and welcome improvements in road safety.

Cathy the improvements we all saw were likely the enforcement of texting and driving, and arguably cell phone use. Both still in full effect. And multitasking in a vehicle does not equate to reckless driving. Thats my big issue with that portion of the ordinance. They made criminals out of you and I before we even committed a crime. My opinion of this is similar to the kid in Birmingham who was arrested carrying the gun openly. He committed no crime, but they arrested him for it anyway. If I'm driving between the lines, observing the speed limit, and not hitting the guy in front of me, stay out of my life. This law was invented to invade your personal space, and reach further than the law should reach. Again, my personal view. As a motorcycle rider, I didn't feel any safer before or after this ordinance, there are still bad drivers on the road, and will always be.

@Dave Henderson: "People have been eating and drinking in their cars since I was a kid. I'm pretty sure I watched my dad shave in his car growing up." That may be the case, but I'm certain where ever your father was shaving did not have the sheer volume of traffic, added with the excessive speed, that we have today in Troy. That isn't a very good comparison. I sat in the front seat of our station wagon when I was five years old, that doesn't mean I will let my kids sit in the front seat. I didn't sit in a booster seat either. Times change. It is scary driving out there at times.
The ordinance merely required you to have one hand on the steering wheel at all times. I think it is a far cry to say the ordinance was making criminals out of people who never committed a crime. Are these people arrested? No. They are simply given a citation and hopefully will be more mindful driving through Troy from that point forward. How is that a bad thing? I'm confused. I mean, the ordinance says, "...resulting in the failure to use due care and caution in the safe operation of a motor vehicle while the vehicle is in motion on any highway or street or place open to the general public within the City of Troy." That means you have to violate the traffic law, correct? Aren't we past the days where the police are "The Man" coming after people for no reason? Give me a break. Observe the traffic laws and keep one hand on the wheel at all times, is that too much to ask?

My point exactly... if I violate the law, give me a ticket... don't invent laws for me to violate so you can arbitrarily ticket me. That whole paragraph was silly.

Dave, given the volume of data the Chief of Police provided, can you share how many of the tickets given were arbitrary? And this was an ordinance, not a law, meant to correct poor driving w/o the larger, greater offenses under the law. It was a benefit to drivers, resulted in safer roads, and gave officers more discretion when ticketing -- a win/win for all.

Explain how that is so bad, and I might side with you. But I don't think you can.

@ Dave Henderson: Yes it was silly, it was meant to be silly. I would like to know, factually, how many tickets were given to Troy drivers for swatting at flies? I saw a man not too long ago driving down John R shoveling food in his mouth from a bowl he was holding. He had no hands on the wheel. There are careless people out there, those who endanger the lives of the citizens of Troy.
We have one of the best Police Departments around, and though I don't know them all personally, I believe they have our citizens best interest at heart. I don't believe they are driving around looking for arbitrary reasons to pull drivers over! I don't understand why you would take away a paragraph from the ordinance that saves lives. If it even saves one life, isn't that enough? Protecting your citizens should be #1, worrying about arbitrary tickets that may or may not be given to random distracted drivers should not even be an issue.
I have been a supporter of the Mayor through these hard times, but honestly, this is making me second guess her, and the council's motives. Are you protecting me? Do you have my family's best interests at heart? With this decision, I am not certain. Why worry about arbitrary tickets when it saves lives? Makes no sense. I'm sorry, but if you are driving down the road with no hands on the wheel and not paying attention to the road, you deserve the arbitrary ticket, because you are a MORON!

I was car #2 in a four car pile up on Adams a couple of weeks ago....three of us were sitting at light while car number four was looking somewhere other than out his window and rammed all 3+1 of us into each other.

Cell phone usage is still covered under the ordinance, and so is texting.

And Gambit of Troy, Staring out the window at something else wasn't covered under the removed paragraph as long as at least one hand was on the wheel.

Again one of my points in the argument. We already have ways to handle careless and reckless driving, and if someone crashes into someone or does something reckless, they need a 3 pointer IMHO. Heck you get 2 don't you for 5 over? Whats worse?

Really and you are on our school board . What a poor role model for our children . Shame on you. Maybe you are one of those who almost hit me while being distracted .

Actually Cristian ran for school board but was not elected.

I agree. Thank you Dave Henderson for taking down this ridiculous ordinance. There are already laws on the books should you violate the law, such as careless driving should you swerve and hit another vehicle. To give the police a blank check to pull you over is Anti-American and hurt the city of Troy as many avoided our city and establishments. This was supposed to be a hidden tax increase on the city purportrated by Slater, McGinnis, Kerwin and Schilling. It has failed as the city has lost revenue by people avoiding our city.

A "blank check" to pull you over? Are you kidding me, Mr. Dwyer?

Our police are so highly rated that other communities model what we do. They pay to use our facilities. Our force is highly lauded nationwide.

And you put into print that offensive statement? Chief Mayer has PROVEN week after week the efficacy of this ordinance. People like you who try to make this into some sort of governmental over-reach or abuse of police power are being unintentionally naive or purposefully insulting.