Red Light Camera News

http://www.mmdnewswire.com/red-light-cameras-129850.html

http://www.motorists.org/other/13%20Mem%20Day%20Release-FINAL.pdf

Flawed Surveys Distort Public Opinion on Red-Light Cameras

Waunakee, WI (MMD Newswire)

May 21, 2013 -- Plagued by scandal (1), gross mismanagement (2), and financial setbacks (3), purveyors of red-light camera systems and their supporters continue to misrepresent public opinion on automated traffic ticketing schemes.
 

That's the conclusion of the National Motorists Association http://www.motorists.org/ after reviewing the latest red-light camera public polling results released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The April 2013 poll http://washingtonexaminer.com/most-d.c.-residents-support-traffic-cameras-survey-finds/article/2528053, which surveyed 800 Washington, D.C., residents, claimed that the overwhelming majority favored red-light cameras.

"We question the results of this poll since only 38 percent of the respondents were regular drivers," said NMA President Gary Biller."The majority of D.C. residents drive on a regular basis so targeting non-drivers skews the results. The IIHS used a similar polling tactic in Houston where it contracted a phone survey of about 300 city residents and proclaimed 57 percent supported red-light cameras. This was only a handful of months after 53 percent of 335,000 Houston voters cast their ballots to eliminate the ticket cameras."

The ballot box is a more accurate measure of how the public views red-light cameras according to Biller. "Voters in 30 cities across the country have used ballot measures to pass judgment on ticket cameras," he said. "The cameras failed in 27 of those contests http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/36/3655.asp. That's a 90 percent rejection rate. Don't be fooled. When citizens express their wishes directly, they overwhelmingly tell their public officials 'we don't want ticket cameras in our community.'"

John Bowman, communications director for the NMA, pointed out, "People are smart; they know ticket cameras are about money, not safety." He noted recent revelations that officials in Florida had intentionally shortened yellow-light times http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418 to greatly increase ticket revenue at camera-equipped intersections. "This degrades highway safety, unfairly targets responsible drivers and represents a violation of the public trust."

The National Motorists Association encourages citizen groups to push for ticket-camera ballot measures as the most effective way to give the public a voice in this critical policy issue.

Sources:

(1) Redflex Traffic Systems, one of the two largest U.S. red-light camera operators, acknowledged a $2 million bribery scheme http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-11/news/ct-met-redflex-scandal-fallout-20130412_1_corruption-scandal-redflex-officials-red-light-camera-contract related to its longtime contract with the City of Chicago. The company, which terminated several top executives in the wake of the scandal, warned that there are "potential issues" with their business involving two other U.S. cities. A federal criminal investigation is ongoing.

(2) City of Chicago Inspector General Joseph Ferguson blasted the lack of control over the city's red-light camera program that generated $72 million in ticket revenue in 2012. The IG's audit http://capitolfax.com/RedLightCameraAuditFinal.pdf found that CDOT (Chicago Department of Transportation) could not substantiate camera locations for safety purposes, and that there was a "lack of basic record keeping and an alarming lack of analysis for an ongoing program that costs tens of millions of dollars a year and generates tens of millions more in revenue." Symptomatic of the lack of fiscal control was the discovery that Chicago is paying $13,800 in annual maintenance for cameras bought at $24,500 each. The Chicago program has 384 red-light cameras in operation.

(3) The loss of the Chicago contract will cost Redflex $17 million http://www.azcentral.com/business/news/articles/20130419chicago-trafficcamera-scandal-hurting-phoenixbased-redflex.html a year and is causing a restructuring of U.S. operations that will cost 65 employees their jobs. American Traffic Solutions, the other major camera vendor in the United States, lost major contracts when the cities of Houston and Los Angeles shut down their red-light camera programs and recently set up a $4.2 million fund to pay plaintiffs http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/03/red-light_camera_company_to_pa.html in a New Jersey class action suit centered around the issue of short yellow lights.

Contact:
John Bowman, Communications Director
National Motorists Association
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 608-849-6000Website: www.motorists.org

About the National Motorists Association:

Founded in 1982, the National Motorists Association is a North American grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to the protection of motorists' rights and freedoms. The NMA was instrumental in repealing the 55 mph National Maximum Speed Limit. Since then, the organization has fought for reasonable speed limits, an end to speed traps, fairer traffic courts and against using traffic tickets to generate revenue.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/may/21/red-bank-doing-fine-without-cameras/

Red Bank, Tenn., is doing fine without traffic cameras
by Lindsay Burkholder

Four months after Red Bank's traffic cameras were removed, city officials say they aren't missed.

Accident rates have remained steady, fewer tickets have been issued and, while no official numbers are in, preliminary reports indicate traffic counts are on the rise. That's something businesses were hoping would happen.

"We've seen a little bit of [traffic] increase on Dayton Boulevard," Red Bank Mayor John Roberts said.

People continue to tell him they're happy the cameras are gone, he added.

"Just the other day a woman came in and said to me, 'Thank God you got rid of those red-light cameras,'" he said.

The controversial cameras were installed in 2006 at three intersections along Dayton Boulevard: Morrison Springs Road, Signal Mountain Road and Ashland Terrace.

In the six years that cameras monitored the area, more than 69,000 traffic citations were issued, records show. The dread of discovering a ticket in the mail led some people to avoid the area entirely, which many residents and business owners said hurt the city.

Roberts said the cameras made Red Bank seem unwelcoming, which discouraged new businesses from taking root in a city that desperately needed revitalization. But all that began to change when the electronic vigil came to an end, he said.

"Since the first of the year, we've seen a lot of interest in Red Bank," he said.

Indeed, a new shopping center that will include a Family Dollar store is scheduled to open in July on Dayton Boulevard at West Ridge Avenue.

"Things are changing for the better," Roberts said.

Roberts doesn't attribute all the city's success to the cameras' demise. He said it's also due in part to a new attitude in Red Bank. He and city commissioners are working hard to market the city to prospective companies, he said.

"I think there has been a change of the way we talk to people, the way we open our door for the city of Red Bank to do business, for people to come into our city and do business," he said.

Late in 2012, the city engaged in a heated debate over the cameras. While the majority clamored for their removal, some said they were doing vital work in keeping citizens safe.

Popular opinion won. In September, Red Bank commissioners voted 4-1 to remove the cameras, and they came down in mid-January.

In the months since, there hasn't been any increase in hazardous driving or the number of accidents, Red Bank Police Chief Tim Christol said.

In fact, comparing data for this year to last year to date shows that the number of crashes at the disputed intersections is nearly identical. The stretch of Dayton Boulevard between Morrison Springs Road and Ashland Terrace saw seven vehicle crashes, one with injury, in both years, records show.

Christol said the Signal Mountain Road intersection actually has seen a reduction: one vehicle crash with injury last year, compared to no accidents so far this year.

He added that the number of traffic citations was also down compared to the same period last year. The first 4 1/2 months of 2012 saw 1,051 citations, compared to 884 for this year, he said.

"It is early enough that the thought of the cameras' former presence at these intersections may continue to have an impact on the data," Christol wrote in an email, "but over time, this may fade. ... Only time will tell."

Some in Red Bank say there's been a clear increase in business along Dayton Boulevard since the cameras were taken down.

Liz Wells, a shift manager at the Pizza Hut near the intersection with Ashland Terrace, said the store has seen a modest increase in customers.

"You can tell. It has picked up some." she said.

Wells said the cameras made driving to work stressful.

"You might not be paying attention and start going five miles faster than you're supposed to be," she said. "It [was] just a constant worry. I'm glad they're gone."

But for some, the threat of the cameras still casts a shadow over business.

Brian McPhee, manager at Red Bank Wine and Spirits, said he hasn't seen much improvement at his business.

"It's a lot easier to get the word out there that they're here than that they're gone," he said. "But we're hopeful."

http://warondriving.com/post/50634991467/florida-fdot-shorten-yellow-light-times

American Traffic Solutions Exposed in Florida “Yellow Light Shaving” Scandal

Anyone who pays attention to college or pro sports has seen a good “point shaving” http://www.mandatory.com/2012/09/13/a-history-of-infamous-point-shaving-scandals/ scandal or two.

With all the big money to be made in gambling, players, coaches and even refs can be easily persuaded to manipulate the outcome of a game in favor of certain bookmakers. This is especially easy when the subject (usually a player) is having money troubles.

Politicians have been introduced to a similar pursuit by Redflex and American Traffic Solutions. Reducing yellow light durations by mere fractions of a second means millions more dollars are extracted from unsuspecting motorists approaching red light scamera intersections.

This “Yellow Light Shaving” has occurred all over the country, from Arizona http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/28/2823.asp to New York City http://warondriving.com/post/33240070104/nyc-aaa-yellow-light-times-camera.

The latest example has been uncovered http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418 by a network affiliate station in Tampa Bay, in quite a thorough investigation. By their estimates, Yellow Light Shaving has produced $50 Million more in citations to drivers in Florida.

The worst part is that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was instructing cities and towns to shorten yellow lights, which make intersections much more dangerous.

The emails recovered by the reporter at WTSP (Tampa) clearly show that FDOT employees were instructing cities to shave time off yellow lights to increase revenue, safety be damned.

Also included in the report are the many other locations in Florida where yellow lights were shortened and the politicians who benefit financially from American Traffic Solutions raking in the money from these intersections.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sdD5fvYHtKQ
 

http://libertyfirstfl.org/?page_id=127

The Liberty First Campaign Against Red Light Cameras
 

The red light camera law came to Floirda in  2010. The law makes vehicle owners guilty unless they identify who they think had custody of their vehicle. This law turns American freedom and justice upside down in the pursuit of the dollar. This law turns law enforcement into a for-profit scheme and has wrongly ticketed many people in Florida while failing to reduce red light violation (RLV) crashes. Fine money is split between the city operating the devices (who pays the device vendor) and the state. This is a multimillion dollar a year industry in Florida.

Our first campaign this year is to work against red light cameras in Florida. The LFN is taking the lead in organizing groups such as trucking associations, attorneys, and citizen groups to enact legislation that will counter the tyrannical and un-American laws such as the one passed at 1:35 in the morning on the day before the last session ended. The law was changed in many bad ways, to include:

◾The establishment of kangaroo courts operated by the cities that stand to profit from guilty verdicts, with hearing officers that have no legal training, and no requirement for rules of evidence.
◾The requirement for the state to suspend ALL tags for a company or vehicle owner if just ONE ticket is wrongly issued (and we’ve seen many of these in Florida)
◾The addition of up to a $250 “cost” to those challenging their tickets, and a $50 “cost” if they request a hearing and then change their mind before the hearing.
 

While invariably spoken about as a safety issue by the local officials that stand to fatten their coffers by these “free” programs (even though several cities have lost revenue), the fact is these devices are about one thing: Revenue.

◾If they were for safety, the violations would place points on the offender’s driving record.
◾If they were for safety, the fine would not be reduced.
◾Red light violation crashes are caused by drivers that are inattentive or impaired. No pole mounted device will have any impact upon them.
◾There are countless videos showing the above crashes on one of the camera vendor’s YouTube accounts.
◾In 2011, about 25 Florida cities used the devices and this generated about $19 million to the state. As of 2013, over 70 use the devices, a 280% increase, and this generated over $84 million to the state, a 442% increase. If the devices worked, the revenue increase would remain the same or decrease.

The fact is, the entire red light camera scheme was devised by for-profit companies, who paid millions in lobbying fees and campaign contributions to make a buck. We love the free market, but oppose attacking liberty with things like a guilty until proven innocent law that does not ticket the person suspected of breaking the law.

The state’s annual “report” on the devices was nothing more than an undocumented survey. While thousands of vehicle owners (not drivers) are ticketed in Florida each week by these devices and then are subject to the law, the cities that operate them are not. The state requires crash data be submitted, yet 20 to 30 percent of the 70+ cities required to do so by the same law that makes vehicle owners guilty until proven innocent failed to do so. We want to know what they are hiding.

Once we build our coalition, we will be at the legislature pushing reform legislation that a majority of Floridians can agree upon. We will not be quiet about this, nor will we participate in any back-room 1:35 AM deals.

We can speak to your group on this or other liberty issues. Please use the contact page here to inquire.  http://libertyfirstfl.org/?page_id=41

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130521/OPINION/305209988/1027?Title=Officials-tinker-with-lights-produce-more-ticket-fines

Officials tinker with lights, produce more ticket fines
OUR VIEW

Published: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 5:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, May 20, 2013 at 5:06 p.m.

Reports indicate that state and local officials are abusing red-light cameras by toying with the time that yellow traffic lights stay on.

The result? Yellow traffic lights in some areas come on for the bare minimum, allowing for more tickets to be issued by red-light camera operators. That means more revenue has been coming in.

It is a manipulation of traffic rules with the apparent aim of ticketing motorists for cash.

The disclosure, first reported by WTSP-10 News in Tampa, demonstrates that red-light cameras are not used primarily as a law-enforcement tool for police, but as a revenue-enhancement measure for Florida's cities and counties.

The Florida Department of Transportation denies they shortened yellow lights to help red-light camera operators shore up revenue, but an investigation by WTSP-10 found a "quiet" change in traffic rules allowed just that. In 2011, the Florida Department of Transportation shortened the yellow-light time frame to just under federal recommendations, the Tampa news organization found.

A number of communities in the TV station's Tampa-St. Petersburg broadcast area had shortened the yellow-light intervals to the new minimum allowed by state rule. These reductions typically took place where red-light cameras had been placed, the station found.

A reduction by fractions of a second in the duration of a yellow light yields substantial revenue for the red-light camera operator, according to a study by researchers at Texas A&M University. Perhaps that is the reason why statewide red-light revenue is expected to increase in 2013, from $100 million in recent years to $120 million.

The National Motorists Association charges the rule change was deliberately made to increase revenue collection. If a city or county shortens the time when a motorist can safely stop for a yellow light, the motorist will often keep going through the intersection. Then, when the threshold has been crossed, the red light comes on, the camera clicks, and a ticket gets issued.

The state calculates yellow-light times based on a number of factors, including the speed limit and motorists' ability to slow down and stop. Generally, the faster the speed limit on the road, the longer the time frame for the yellow light, which warns motorists to slow down and get ready to stop for the coming red light.

To make matters more worrisome, WTSP-10 News reports that some Florida localities are not even in compliance with the state's yellow-light minimums.

Tinkering with yellow-light times not only exposes motorists to a cash grab, it also makes intersections less safe. If yellow lights are set at minimums, there are bound to be more close calls and near-misses between vehicles.

This latest report should bring a serious rethinking of red-light cameras by legislators and local policymakers. Traffic rules and laws should not be a game of "gotcha." And the best enforcement comes from a human set of eyes, not from a robotic revenue enhancer.

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-clear-up-red-light-confusion/2121551

Editorial: Clear up red-light confusion
Friday, May 17, 2013 4:30am

• Under the bill, people challenging red-light camera tickets could get their case heard by someone who works for the county or city that expects to bring in revenues from the tickets.

Leave it to the Florida Legislature to cause new problems while fixing old ones. Legislation sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, resolved a series of issues plaguing red-light camera use. But it also created a still-unscripted appeals process that could prove unfair to motorists and hit them harder in the wallet.

The Legislature needed to correct its prior mistakes. Among the problems with the state's law: A 30-day limit for paying a lower red-light camera fine of $158 was so short that by the time rental car customers received notice of violation they were automatically required to pay $264.

Brandes' proposal, added to HB 7125, addresses this and other complaints raised by Ken Burke, Pinellas County clerk of the Circuit Court. He'd complained his office spent a disproportionate amount of time handling angry calls about camera tickets compared with those issued by officers on roadways. Brandi Williams, the director of the Hillsborough clerk's traffic department, agreed that the tens of thousands of camera tickets from Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace "dramatically increased our workload."

The bill alleviates the rental car problem by extending the initial deadline to pay the $158 fine to 60 days. It also removes ambiguity for drivers turning right on a red light. Under the bill, as long as the car comes to a stop before the right turn, even if it is after the line, no ticket can be issued. This is another positive change.

But if the bill is signed by Gov. Rick Scott — it is part of a 226-page transportation bill — it will go into effect in July, which gives local governments little time to comply with the biggest change, establishing an administrative appeal process. Every locality with red-light cameras would need one, and that may mean hiring local hearing officers and creating a new bureaucracy.

The problem for people challenging a camera ticket is that rather than their case being heard by an impartial judge, as it is now, it may go before someone who works for the county or city that expects to bring in revenues from tickets. And the bill allows jurisdictions to charge as much as $250 in costs on top of the $158 notice of violation if the appeal fails. Motorists looking to contest their ticket face up to $408 in charges. People could still choose to go to court instead of taking the administrative route, and they could appeal any denial by a hearing officer to a court, but those options may not be clear and could add to the cost.

This experiment with red-light cameras — 77 local jurisdictions in the state had them as of December — has added unanticipated costs to other parts of government even as the safety record is mixed. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn claims the cameras have made busy intersections safer, and some state statistics back that up, but in St. Petersburg rear-end wrecks at intersections with red-light cameras jumped 44 percent between November 2011 and October 2012.

Counties and cities claim the cameras are about safety and not the hundreds of thousands of dollars flowing into their coffers. But the money is clearly playing a role in the cameras' proliferation. Time will tell if localities try to gouge people challenging their tickets with the maximum $250 in costs as well.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/317547/8/Investigation-launched-into-FDOT-over-short-yellow-lights

Senator Jeff Brandes launches legislative investigation into FDOT, short yellow lights at red-light camera intersections
5:44 PM, May 20, 2013   |  

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - The head of Florida's Senate Transportation Committee has informed FDOT he was launching a legislative investigation into red-light cameras (RLC) and short yellow lights, following a 10 News Investigation.

WATCH: INITIAL SHORT YELLOWS INVESTIGATION http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418
READ: SUMMARY OF FEDERAL GUIDELINES IGNORED http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316882

State Sen. Jeff Brandes , R-St. Petersburg, penned the following letter http://www.wtsp.com/assetpool/documents/130520060003_FDOT%20RLC%20Brandes%20Letter%205-20-1.pdf to FDOT Secretary Ananth Prasad on Monday:

Secretary Prasad,

Traffic infraction detectors have been installed on numerous municipal, county, and state roads, and their impact on the daily lives of Floridians has been a point of disagreement in the legislature. Recent information has emerged that alleges impropriety by several municipal and county governments in the implementation of traffic infraction device programs.

In response to these developments I have been actively working with my staff in the Senate Committee on Transportation to investigate this issue. It is my intent to investigate the following:

•Any changes of timing of yellow-lights at intersections before and after the installation of traffic control devices;
•Crash data at intersections with traffic control devices installed, specifically with regards to "right-turn on red" violations issued compared to actual crashes;
•Traffic control device contracts between municipal and county governments and private traffic control device companies.
The potential for adverse impacts on the residents of Florida resulting from the misuse of traffic infraction detectors is a very serious issue that cannot be ignored. I stand committed to addressing any shortfalls in public policy in this regard, and I look forward to continuing our open dialogue and mutual cooperation as we work toward a policy that best protects the safety of Floridians.

Kind regards,
Jeff Brandes

Brandes first promised action last Tuesday, the day after the 10 News investigation aired.  He spoke to Prasad that afternoon, and spent the rest of the week preparing legislative staff to investigate.

Brandes also spoke about the investigation on the FOX Business Network Friday afternoon.  MSNBC has referenced 10 News' investigation numerous times as well.

Murfreesboro Cape on WGNS Radio.  RED Light Cameras need to go away!

Radio link:

http://bw-2e2c4bf7ceaa4712a72dd5ee136dc9a8-bwcore.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/File4013.mp3

http://alerts.motorists.org/nma-e-newsletter-227-the-true-red-light-camera-violation/

NMA E-Newsletter #227: The True Red-Light Camera Violation

Already bruised by an ongoing bribery scandal http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-11/news/ct-met-redflex-scandal-fallout-20130412_1_corruption-scandal-redflex-officials-red-light-camera-contract, the City of Chicago’s red-light camera program took another body blow recently, thanks to the city’s own Office of Inspector General (IGO).

The IGO conducted an audit of the Chicago’s red-light program http://capitolfax.com/RedLightCameraAuditFinal.pdf to “determine if red-light camera installations were made based on the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) stated primary criterion of reducing angle crashes to increase safety.”

The audit sought to answer nine specific questions posed by members of the Chicago City Council, including the following:
 

• Has the City installed, and is the City installing, red-light cameras in locations with the highest number of angle crashes?
• Has the City used, and is the City using accurate data in determining the location for red-light cameras?
• Is CDOT following its own prioritization steps for red-light camera relocations?
• Which City departments, consultants, and/or employees of Redflex are involved in the decision to install or relocate red-light cameras, and how?
• What is the total cost of the camera system, including installation and annual maintenance?

The findings, or lack thereof, are stunning. In its cover letter to Mayor Emanuel and other city officials summarizing the results, the IGO states the following:

Our audit’s findings can be summarized in two simple points.

First, CDOT was unable to substantiate its claims that the City chose to install red-light cameras at intersections with the highest angle crash rates in order to increase safety. Neither do we know, from the information provided by CDOT, why cameras in locations with no recent angle crashes have not been relocated, nor what the City’s rationale is for the continued operation of any individual camera at any individual location.

Second, our audit uncovered little evidence that the overarching program strategy, guidelines, or appropriate metrics are being used to ensure the RLC program is being executed to the best benefit of the City or the general public. Specifically, we found a lack of basic recordkeeping and an alarming lack of analysis for an ongoing program that costs tens of millions of dollars a year and generates tens of millions more in revenue.

That pretty much says it all, but there are some gems contained in the body of the report:

The IGO could not determine if field evaluations for potential RLC installations were done in accordance with appropriate traffic engineering standards to ensure that signal timing is set properly.

The IGO requested the traffic engineering standards used by CDOT and any documentation to show that RLC installations and signal timing were completed in accordance with the standards. CDOT did provide the IGO with the standards but did not provide any documentation supporting that signal timing is set to the required minimum standards or regularly monitored for adherence to those standards.

Other than the site survey provided by Redflex, CDOT management said they were not aware of any involvement by other City departments, consultants or other individuals in the decision process of where to install cameras.

The report also reveals that Chicago has paid Redflex more than $100 million over the life of the program, yet it can’t document costs associated with the purchase, maintenance, repair or miscellaneous fees for any camera location or specific camera.

The IGO dug deeper and did manage to determine that the city’s annual maintenance cost is $13,800 per camera—56 percent of the cost to purchase a brand new camera. That’s like buying a new $30,000 car and then agreeing to spend another $15,000 a year to maintain it. Eight years later (that’s how long Chicago has had cameras), you could have paid for a new car four times over, but you’re still driving an eight-year-old car.

It defies logic.

But every red-light camera program conceived defies logic. Until you realize that the stated goal of such schemes (public safety) is not the true goal (money). Then it starts to click. The game is rigged, and the cheaters protect the game through their disdain for transparency and accountability coupled with their pervasive indifference to the public good.

This is the true red-light camera violation; we shouldn’t shrug it off by saying, “Oh well, it’s Chicago. What did you expect?” We expect, and deserve, better from those we entrust with our public safety and our precious resources.

 

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/41/4103.asp

California: City Obsessed With Red Light Camera Ticket Numbers
Emails reveal Menlo Park, California remains obsessed with red light camera ticket numbers.

California is the largest market for red light cameras in the country thanks to the fines set by the state running nearly $500 each. Municipalities that adopt the technology are quick to deny any possibility that financial considerations have anything to do with their decisions to monitor local intersections. Internal discussions between the city of Menlo Park and camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems suggest otherwise.

Menlo Park is currently in the process of deciding whether to renew its contract, so earlier this month the city signed a sixty-day extension allowing four cameras to continue operating until July 2. The decision of whether to install a fifth camera hinges on the number of citations that can be generated, not on any accident reduction consideration, according to a review of emails between the Menlo Park Police Department and Redflex.

Redflex currently charges a monthly fee of $5651.50 for each intersection camera it operates. That means to be profitable, a location must generate just twelve paid tickets each month. On March 11, Redflex spent twelve hours videotaping traffic at the intersection of Bayfront Expressway and Chilco Street, counting how many tickets it might be able to issue in that time. For the eastbound direction, the company counted zero violations caused by a driver running straight through a red signal -- the type of violation that might cause an accident. Instead, there were 114 vehicles turning right on red, a maneuver that, though ticketable, is rarely dangerous according to federal data (view study http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/26/2693.asp). The result at the intersection would be sufficient to issue $650,000 worth of tickets annually.

"My only question is: since most of the violations are right turns, how long would that be sustainable?" Traffic Sergeant Sharon A. Kaufman asked in a March 28 email to Redflex. "Once behavior changes will we see a drastic reduction in the number of citations/violations?"

The response from Redflex account representative Mark Riggs presupposed no such behavior change.

"The normal process for a new approach is the first few months there will be high numbers then it will begin to decline and stabilize," Riggs replied. "Where it drops is anyone's guess due to all of the variables involved. I can say that most intersections that have right turns enforced continue to produce consistent numbers."

The emails show that Menlo Park has not changed its ways since it was slammed three years ago by the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury for focusing solely on citation numbers ( view grand jury report, 1mb PDF file http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2010/ca-smcgj.pdf).

"Based on interviews and responses to survey questions, the reporting of accident statistics is not being used as a measure of the effectiveness of red light cameras," the grand jury found. "The primary emphasis appears to be on the number of citations issued. Based on the data provided by the cities, there was no overall trend indicating a noticeable change in accident rates before and after installation of red light cameras."

From 2008 to 2012, Redflex issued 23,066 tickets worth $11 million in Menlo Park. In February and March of this year, Redflex mailed $330,000 worth of tickets, according to data supplied by HighwayRobbery.net http://www.highwayrobbery.net/.

Source:  Internal city emails to Redflex (City of Menlo Park, California, 3/28/2013) http://www.thenewspaper.com/rlc/docs/2013/ca-menloemail.pdf

http://blog.motorists.org/judging-driver-behavior/

Judging Driver Behavior by Intuition or by Facts?
Posted on May 14th, 2013
By Gary Biller, NMA President

BAN THE CAMS NOTE:  LOOK AT THE CHART.  WHEN AMBERS WERE INCREASED FROM 4.0 to 5.5.  VILOATIONS BECAME NON EXISTANT ON STRAIGHT THRUS!  OVER TWO YEARS!

ANY RLC supporter (even if they wear a uniform),

ARE LYING OUT OF THEIR TEETH WHEN THEY TRY 

TO ARGUE AGAINST LONGER AMBERS!

Investigative reporter Noah Pransky of Tampa Bay TV station WTSP filed an explosive report earlier this week about the intentional shortening of yellow-light intervals at red-light camera intersections http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418  for the purpose of raising ticket revenue. Pransky noted that of the more than $120 million of photo ticket revenue collected across Florida in 2012, $50 million was directly attributable to red-light camera program operators setting yellow lights too short.

That is a startling number, particularly for those who aren’t familiar with the multitude of documented accounts of short yellow lights http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/yellow-lights that the NMA has gathered over the years. More alarming still is that the combination of red-light cameras and improper yellow-light timing creates the dubious double penalty of inflating ticket revenue while simultaneously making intersections less safe http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/increase-accidents.

A common counter claim against lengthening yellow-light cycles is that drivers will eventually adjust to the conditions and go back to their supposed natural instincts of playing “let’s beat the light.” Both Florida State Senator Jeff Clemens and Charles Territo, chief propagandist of camera vendor American Traffic Solutions, voice this in Pransky’s report.

That is not an uncommon position for pro-camera legislators and camera company employees to make. Some of the public jump on that bandwagon because it makes intuitive sense to them that motorists can’t help but push the margins, whether it be ignoring the speed limit or following an urge to zip through intersections at the first sign of a yellow light, safety be damned.

This view of kamikaze drivers is not only intuitively incorrect, it is factually wrong. Several studies have shown this:

“The data show that the percentage of last-to-cross vehicles clearing the intersection (T + 0.2) seconds or more past the yellow onset was not appreciably changed by the extension of the yellow phase.”

The Influence of the Time Duration of Yellow Traffic Signals on Driver Response, Stimpson/Zador/Tarnoff, ITE Journal (November 1980)

“Research has consistently shown that drivers do not, in fact, adapt to the length of the yellow.”

Determining Vehicle Change Intervals – A Proposed Recommended Practice,Institute of Transportation Engineers (1985)

“Drivers do adapt to the increase in yellow duration; however, this adaptation does not undo the benefit of an increase in yellow duration.”

Effect of Yellow-Interval Timing on Red-Light-Violation Frequency at Urban Intersections, Bonneson/Zimmerman, Texas Transportation Institute (January 2004)

Several communities, from Gwinnett County, Georgia, to Loma Linda, California, and places in-between, have put this to the test by analyzing intersection safety statistics in the months and years after lengthening their yellow lights by 0.5 to 1.0 seconds. Violation rates typically plummet 50 to 90 percent almost immediately, and have been shown to remain at those low levels years after the fact.

If you hear a state legislator or city official trying to justify the use of short yellow lights in conjunction with a red-light camera program on the basis of “it doesn’t matter, drivers can’t help themselves,” don’t let them get away with it. Your fellow drivers and your wallet will thank you.
 

Other Articles You Might Like:
 

• Help Us Stop Short Yellow Lights http://blog.motorists.org/help-us-expose-red-light-camera-corruption/  
• 6 Cities That Were Caught Shortening Yellow Light Times For Profit http://blog.motorists.org/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/  
• How To Turn A Red Light Camera Into A Cash Machine In Three Easy Steps http://blog.motorists.org/red-light-camera-cash-machine/
• Red-Light Cameras Do Not Reduce Right Angle Crashes http://blog.motorists.org/red-light-cameras-do-not-reduce-right-angle-crashes/
• Short Yellow Light Times No Longer Going Unnoticed http://blog.motorists.org/short-yellow-light-times-no-longer-going-unnoticed/

http://www.hernandotoday.com/he/list/news/county-still-seeking-removal-of-red-light-cameras-b82492388z1

County still seeking removal of red-light cameras
      
By Michael D. Bates | Hernando Today
 Published: May 15, 2013

BROOKSVILLE - The county is moving forward with plans to disable the city of Brooksville’s two red-light cameras on county-owned property and the matter is in the hands of the legal office.

 County attorneys were given the directive three months ago to find a legal way to remove the cameras at U.S. 41 and Wiscon Road and Cobb Road and Jefferson Street.

 County Attorney Garth Coller declined to comment on the progress because the matter may end up in litigation.

 County Commissioner Jim Adkins, leading the charge on the camera removal, said the process may be lengthy and called it similar to getting a tenant evicted from a home. It takes time and the necessary legalities must be addressed to prevent future problems.

 Adkins broached the idea back in February and the cameras remain functional, to the commissioner’s chagrin.

“They just need to do away with them and be done with them,” Adkins said Wednesday.

 Adkins said cameras strip motorists of a basic right to argue their case with Florida Highway Patrol or whichever law enforcement agency pulls them over.

“If I’m going to get a ticket, I want to be able to talk with someone right there at the time I get pulled over so we can discuss the matter,” Adkins said. “I may still get my ticket but at least I will have the chance to voice my opinion to my accuser, in a civil manner.”

Adkins said he is convinced that legislators are more interested in money generated from violations.

“It’s not about safety, it’s about revenue, Adkins said.

 In April, there were 1,481 paid citations from red-light camera violators. Of the $233,998 in revenue, $122,923 went to the state, $55,537 to the city of Brooksville and $55,537 to Sensys America, the camera company.

 Proponents of red-light cameras, now being used in 24 states, say it will cut down on traffic violators and is a boon to law enforcement.

 Brooksville Police Chief George Turner said the battle of the cameras is being waged between attorneys and he is simply enforcing the law.

 The cameras remain up and violators will be issued tickets, he said.

 Turner said statistics show the number of traffic accidents is down wherever cameras are employed and Brooksville is no exception. In 2009-10, the first year of usage, total crashes were down 35 percent, he said.

 There are eight intersections and 16 cameras employed within city limits, including the two on county-owned property.

 Not all crashes occurred at an intersection where a camera was present which suggests that their presence raises awareness of safe driving within city limits, Turner added.

“I think as a citizen, I’m supportive of red light enforcement whether it be by police officer or red-light camera,” Turner said. “I guess the easiest way not to get a ticket is to follow the law.”

Turner said there is much misinformation about red-light cameras, including criticism that law enforcement is somehow manipulating the cameras to trick drivers.

 That is not so, Turner said.

 Critics say they are only used to prop up government budgets and are a money grab. Cameras, they said, will not deter motorists from running red lights.

 The National Motorists Association, in a press release, said the cameras may actually make roads less safe.

“A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it may also take a thousand words to explain what the picture really means,” the NMA said. “Even in those rare instances where a law enforcement officer is overseeing a ticket camera, it is highly unlikely that the officer would recall the supposed violation.”

For all practical purposes, there is no “accuser” for motorists to confront, which is a constitutional right, according to the NMA.

“There is no one that can personally testify to the circumstances of the alleged violation, and just because a camera unit was operating properly when it was set up does not mean it was operating properly when the picture was taken of any given vehicle,” it said.

 Turner also commented on Judge Donald Scaglione’s announcement this week he would throw out any violations caught on camera of motorists not making a complete stop when making right turns at red lights.

 Scaglione cited the vagueness of the state law in determining the “right-on-red” law.

 Turner said he would follow the existing law that requires motorists to make a complete stop before turning right and cited a recent case where a mother and child were hit when a driver failed to follow that law.

 Both were uninjured.

Ban the Cams note:

Turner should read the local news one day.  Down in Tampa, multiple towns WITH RLC have been busted USING short ambers.  Nice "memory' he has eh.

by the way, Right turn on reds crashes are rare, Turner must have had to hunt to find that one.  You can go a billion miles before getting in a wreck making a right turn on red. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/26/2693.asp

Most of Brooksville RLC tickets are more than likley right turns on red.  (Brooksville has their own definiton of a right turn, like many other Florida towns, in fact Ban the Cams recommends NO ONE MAKE A RIGHT TURN ON RED IN ANY FL town due to the fact has their own "defintion").

 

Tampa Reverse Course.  City Council will take action to address short yellow lights!

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/316967/250/Short-Yellow-Lights-Tampa-council-taking-action

Short Yellow Lights: Tampa council taking action

10:25 PM, May 16, 2013   |
 
Noah Pransky

TAMPA, Fla. -- Mayor Bob Buckhorn won't talk about Tampa's short yellow lights - among the shortest in all of Tampa Bay - but at least one councilwoman wants the city to take a closer look at the federal guidelines 10 News identified in its short yellow lights investigation.

WATCH AND READ THE INITIAL 10 NEWS INVESTIGATION

City councilwoman Lisa Montelione said she would ask staff to provide a red light camera (RLC) report for a June 20 council workshop.  She also wanted staff to review the USDOT guidelines for yellow lights that 10 News pointed out were being ignored across Tampa Bay.

FDOT mandates a 4.0-second yellow interval for a 40mph roadway, but Tampa says it has several lights set to 3.9 seconds because of its strict interpretation of an engineering formula.

An FDOT engineer confirmed for the city that the intersections of Hillsborough/Nebraska and 50th/Adamo are both not "the preferred 4.0 seconds shown on the (FDOT) chart." Meanwhile, USDOT standards suggest yellow light intervals at those key intersections should be in the 4.5/5.0 ballpark.

Last year, Tampa raked in $2.6 million from 15 RLC intersections.  In all, the citations raised $7.6 million, with more than half of the money going to the state.

Mayor Bob Buckhorn has repeatedly refused interview requests on the topic, as an administration spokesperson says lengthening yellow lights "is an engineering decision."

However, FDOT tells 10 News that any city that wishes to extend its yellow lights by an additional half-second to accommodate older drivers or large trucks, as recommended by the USDOT, would be allowed to.

Montelione said she was turned on to the story by a constituent who asked her on Twitter about the 10 News investigation https://twitter.com/tobythomson/status/334871274306281472.

A day earlier, Hillsborough County commissioners instructed staff http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316836 to analyze its six red-light camera intersections as well as the USDOT guidelines.

In St. Petersburg, where several small yellow-light "malfunctions" plagued red-light camera intersections and other lights are set well below federal guidelines, Councilman Charlie Gerdes said he would use the 10 News report to once again push for longer yellow lights.
 

10 NEWS' YELLOW LIGHT INVESTIGATION:

5/15/13 - Hillsborough Commission wants to review yellow lengths; Tampa mayor does not http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316836
5/14/13 - Legislators acting quickly following 10 News investigation http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316632
5/13/13 - Florida shortened yellow light lengths, driving up red-light camera revenues http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418

L.A. Jay Beeber to talk about short Ambers this morning at 8:20 PDT!!!!

http://www.kabc.com/common/page.php?pt=McIntyre+In+The+Morning+Podcast&id=861&is_corp=0

click the listen live button at the top

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/316836/250/Hillsborough-County-to-study-short-yellow-lights-federal-guidelines-City-of-Tampa-wont

Hillsborough County to study short yellow lights, federal guidelines; City of Tampa won't
11:28 PM, May 15, 2013   |

TAMPA, Florida -- The Hillsborough County Commission has instructed staff to study the lengths of its yellow lights at red light camera (RLC) intersections, as well as national standards identified by the 10 News Investigators as being ignored all across the region.

Meanwhile, the City of Tampa tells 10 News it has no intentions of altering its RLC intersections, despite the shortest yellow light intervals found in Tampa Bay.

10 News found state and local engineers reducing the time of yellow lights, especially at red light camera intersections. The results were increased citation rates.

WATCH AND READ THE INITIAL 10 NEWS INVESTIGATION http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418

FDOT mandates a 4.0-second yellow interval for a 40mph roadway, but Tampa says it has several lights set to 3.9 seconds because of its strict interpretation of an engineering formula.

An FDOT engineer confirmed for the city that the intersections of Hillsborough/Nebraska and 50th/Adamo are both not "the preferred 4.0 seconds shown on the (FDOT) chart." Meanwhile, USDOT standards suggest yellow light intervals at those key intersections should be in the 4.5/5.0 ballpark.

Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who is one of the most accessible politicians in Tampa Bay, has repeatedly avoided 10 News' questions about the short yellow light investigation. Instead, his administration has deflected questions to the city's traffic department, which says it plans no changes to its RLC intersections unless crash data or FDOT recommend it.

The City of Tampa and Tampa Police Dept. point to a 29 percent reduction in crash rates and falling citation rates as evidence their RLC program is successful and making intersections safer.

(Ban the Cams note:  Notice they don't bring up RLV crashes.  Just crashes in general.  A RLC can only "stop" a rlr crash. Also note ATS has been known to "help" towns do their RLC reports.  http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/37/3703.asp 

"Red light camera vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is furious that police in Kansas City, Missouri released a report last week evaluating photo enforcement intersections without giving the company a chance to modify the data. In many cities, ATS plays a key role in authoring such studies,"

Kansas City ordered their police to redo the report with ATS "collaboration". http://www.banthecams.org/Red-Light-Camera-News/kc-police-told-to-qcollaborate-or-at-least-consult-with-ats-before-releasing-more-info-on-rlc.html)

"Our transportation engineers feel that our crash statistics support how we have our lights timed," said Tampa's Public Affairs Director Ali Glisson via email.  "We are not seeing any crashes resulting from yellow lights being too short.

(Ban the Cams:  Did ATS write this for you by chance?????  They have written response for cities and officers before!  http://www.banthecams.org/Red-Light-Camera-News/red-light-camera-company-runs-up-big-lobbying-tab-in-florida.html or http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-08-14/news/fl-red-light-cameras-20110814_1_red-light-camera-camera-programs-american-traffic-solutions

Quote: ATS circulated two pro-camera pieces and asked police chiefs and sheriffs in Florida to sign them, according to emails the company sent to several cities. One was a letter to state legislators in 2009 and the other an op-ed piece that ran in the Tampa Tribune in April 2010, days before key committee votes in Tallahassee on a camera bill.

"As law enforcement leaders, we completely support … red-light cameras,'' the op-ed piece said. "In our expert view, red-light ...cameras are a critically important public safety tool.''

Neither piece mentioned ATS or the company's role in spearheading it."

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/35/3581.asp

Quote:  Davis and other Lynnwood officials were concerned as the Everett Daily Herald newspaper widened its investigation into the operations of the automated ticketing program. ATS offered to write responses for the city.

"Our public relations department has great information on the safety aspects of the cameras and they are available to you to create an opinion editorial so the Herald can cover the safety message in next month's article," Claudia Garibay with ATS wrote in an April 26 email. "Would you like for the public relations manager Kate Coulson to get in touch with you and discuss ideas and information to provide the Herald?"

Coulson ensured whenever Davis conducted interviews with reporters that he used ATS-approved talking points and materials.)

WATCH AND READ LEGISLATORS REACT TO 10 NEWS INVESTIGATION, PROMISE ACTION http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316632

Last year, Tampa issued $7.6 million in RLC fines at 15 intersections, keeping approximately $2.6 million of the revenue for itself. The rest was split between the state, county, and camera companies.

FDOT tells 10 News it doesn't receive any direct revenue from RLC and it is now considering a 0.4-second increase to all Florida yellow light intervals to allow the state's aging population, and large vehicles, more time to react to the traffic signals.
 

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/316632/250/10-News-Investigators-Legislators-acting-quickly-on-short-yellow-light-investgation

10 News Investigators: Legislators acting quickly on short yellow light investgation
11:48 PM, May 14, 2013   |  

 
By:  Noah Pransky

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- After the 10 News Investigators revealed the Florida Department of Transportation is shortening some yellow lights across the state, thus creating more red light camera (RLC) revenue, a number of lawmakers are calling on state transportation leaders to act.

WATCH AND READ THE INITIAL 10 NEWS INVESTIGATION http://origin.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418 or http://www.banthecams.org/Red-Light-Camera-News/florida-quietly-shortened-yellow-light-standards-a-lengths-resulting-in-more-red-light-camera-tck.html

Tuesday afternoon, eight legislators gathered for a post-session forum hosted by Suncoast Tiger Bay. At least four of them told 10 News they saw the investigation and want Florida to fall more in line with national standards for yellow light lengths.

"I don't think it's fair that our citizens should be penalized for yellow lights that have been artificially reduced," said State Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. "We know if you lengthen the yellow light by just one second, you'd significantly reduce the number of red light tickets.

Brandes, along with State Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, and State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, all said they had made, or were going to make, calls to FDOT's secretary.

When Tiger Bay member and leading local RLC critic Matt Florell asked the group of Legislators if they would support a law that would increase the state's minimum yellow signal timing back to the federal standards, most of the group said yes.

State Rep. Larry Ahern, R-St. Petersburg, pointed out he proposed a bill this year that did exactly that, including penalize municipalities that failed to follow the law.

Other legislators that told 10 News they wanted to address the short yellow issues include:  State Rep. Dwight Dudley, D-St. Petersburg; Jamie Grant, R-Tampa; State Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey; Dana Young, R-Tampa; and State Rep. Neil Combee, R-Auburndale.

FDOT tells 10 News that it doesn't receive any direct revenue from red light cameras and it doesn't issue citations. One of the agency's top engineers also says the agency is looking at adding three-tenths of a second to all yellow light minimums across the state to allow Florida's older population a little more time to react safely.

Find 10 News Investigator Noah Pransky on Facebook or follow his updates on Twitter. Send your story tips to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Ban the Cam note:  Hooper is taking ATS money.  http://retiredpublicsafety.com/wp/america-fundamentally/  Also check out http://www.banthecams.org/Red-Light-Camera-News/who-is-taking-money-from-ats-in-tallahassee-about-everyone-who-voted-to-keep-rlc.html.

http://www.chron.com/news/article/No-more-red-light-cameras-in-The-Woodlands-4515698.php

No more red light cameras in The Woodlands
Commissioner says project was problematic since the beginning
By Lindsay Peyton | May 14, 2013

Montgomery County officials have put a stop to red light cameras in The Woodlands.

County attorneys are still working to end the contract - but law enforcement stopped monitoring the cameras on March 31. It will take some time to take the cameras down.

"It's a process," said Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack. "They haven't been removed, but we aren't enforcing them.

In 2007, cameras were placed at two intersections in the community, and in the past six years, the number has increased to 10.

Noack said the cameras, have not been earning their keep - and are actually costing the county money.

He said that the cameras have been problematic for the county since the beginning.

"Before you install the red lights, you're supposed to run a study of the intersection and see it there's a high number of incidents there," Noack said.

The precinct then must conduct a study should every year to see if the red light cameras are reducing the number of traffic violations.

Noack said that since he was elected to office in November, he has not found any proof of the studies. He said he could not say the studies were not completed - but he cannot provide the necessary evidence.

"We can't get our hands on that data," Noack said. "We don't know where the data is."

The lack of evidence cost RedFlex, the contracted operators of the camera enforcement system, $200,000 in fine reimbursements to drivers, Noack said.

He added that the cameras also require certain road signs.

They have signs indicating their presence, but they do not have the signs stating that those who run the stoplights will be fined for $75.

"None of the 10 intersections comply with statutes," Noack said.

Noack said the cameras cost the country $46,000 a month, which accounts for a large portion of his $5 million annual budget.

"When you add it up, that's over a half million a year," he said.

"We operate these intersections at a loss."

When the cameras do earn a profit, 50 percent goes to the state, Noack added.

Besides, Noack said the cameras do not necessarily reduce traffic violations.

"We don't have any proof that these intersections are any safer than the ones without cameras," he said.

The cameras also require extra staff time to monitor, which further increases their associated costs, Noack said.

The constable was spending 8 to 10 hours a week on hearings, deputies were spending 10 to 15 hours a week reviewing footage, and another staff member spent 20 hours a week on the project, Noack explained.

"It was very time consuming," Constable Ryan Gable said.

"We spent a huge amount of time dedicating a majority of my staff to just handling the administrative aspects of RedFlex."

Besides, Gable felt it was not fair to residents that his office reported the violations and he tried the hearings.

"I felt like there was a conflict of interest there," he said.

"I think there was a problem with the system, the way it was set up."

Jody Ryan, director of communications, Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc., commented on the county's stopping of the cameras.

"Montgomery County sent a purported letter of termination to Redflex seeking to terminate the contract effective March, 2013," Ryan said. "Redflex values our relationship with the county, and will evaluate our options."

Noack said restoring the funds spent on red light cameras to the county will be beneficial.

"I think we could deploy that funding for better purposes," he said. "There's all kinds of stuff we could do in Montgomery County."

Noack would like to see those funds redirected to building or working on roads.

"I just decided that it's better to use the law enforcement we have to patrol these intersections," he said.

"When you factor all those costs, it's burdensome.

"I'd rather use that money more wisely."

Gable said abandoning the cameras allows his staff to get out of the office and back on the street.

"It puts my personnel back doing proactive law enforcement," he said.

"It makes us more responsive to calls, keeping our children safe and our roadways safe."

He also believes that law officers have better judgment than cameras when it comes to reporting violations.

"We really thought long and hard about our situation," Gable said.

"I think it's going to benefit the county from a financial standpoint and possibly a safety standpoint."

County residents seem to support the decision, Noack said.

"Based on rough polls, 82 percent of the public are behind us on this," he said.

"The public doesn't support them, we're losing money, we don't have any proof of improved safety.

"Why keep them going?"

"I think it's the right thing to do."

http://theexpiredmeter.com/2013/05/new-report-casts-doubt-on-safety-claims-of-citys-red-light-camera-program/

New Report Casts Doubt On Safety Claims Of City’s Red Light Camera Program

May 14, 2013   Red Light Cameras


For years, opponents of Chicago’s red light cameras have argued the program was not based on improving traffic safety, but on generating tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue.

On Tuesday, a report released by the Chicago Inspector General’s Office http://theexpiredmeter.com/2013/05/new-report-casts-doubt-on-safety-claims-of-citys-red-light-camera-program/red-light-camera-audit-final/ seems to back up critics’ claims and, according to one alderman, undermines the basis for the program’s existence.

“Our audit uncovered little evidence that the overarching program strategy, guidelines, or appropriate metrics are being used to ensure the [Red Light Camera] program is being executed to the best benefit of the City or the general public,” the report summarized.

“Specifically, we found a lack of basic record keeping and an alarming lack of analysis for an ongoing program that costs tens of millions of dollars a year and generates tens of millions more in revenue.”

The inspector general’s office started an audit of the city’s extensive red light camera program earlier this year in response to revelations of an internal investigation by current vendor Redflex Traffic Systems. That investigation, headed by former Inspector General David Hoffman, alleges employees for Redflex may have bribed the former city official overseeing the city’s RLC program.

Read more at DNA Info Chicago.  http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130514/chicago/new-report-casts-doubt-on-safety-claims-of-citys-red-light-camera-program

 

Thanks to Allen and the NMA on sharing this:

http://capitolfax.com/RedLightCameraAuditFinal.pdf
 

Quote:

Our audit's findings can be summarized in two simple points.

First, CDOT was unable to substantiate its claims that the City chose to install red-light cameras at intersections with the highest angle crash rates in order to increase safety. Neither do we know, from the information provided by CDOT, why cameras in locations with no recent angle crashes have not been relocated, nor what the City's rationale is for the continued operation of any individual camera at any individual location.

Second, our audit uncovered little evidence that the overarching program strategy, guidelines, or appropriate metrics are being used to ensure the RLC program is being executed to the best benefit of the City or the general public. Specifically, we found a lack of basic recordkeeping and an alarming lack of analysis for an ongoing program that costs tens of millions of dollars a year and generates tens of millions more in revenue.

The majority of these camera location decisions were made five or more years ago, when virtually none of CDOT's current leadership was involved with the program.  However, cameras installed years ago are still in operation today and have been throughout the two-year tenure of CDOT's current leadership. Yet the Department cannot produce documentation demonstrating how each camera location was chosen, or why cameras in locations with no recent angle crashes have not been relocated pursuant to CDOT's relocation criteria. If the intent of the RLC program is to increase safety and reduce the number of dangerous angle crashes, it is troubling that CDOT cannot produce documentation or an analysis demonstrating how each camera location was chosen, including all of those currently in operation, was chosen.

 

Attachments:

File	Description
Chicago RedLightCameraAuditFinal.pdf

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=316418

Florida quietly shortened yellow light standards & lengths, resulting in more red light camera tickets for you

11:39 AM, May 14, 2013   |

TAMPA BAY, Florida -- A subtle, but significant tweak to Florida's rules regarding traffic signals has allowed local cities and counties to shorten yellow light intervals, resulting in millions of dollars in additional red light camera fines.

The 10 News Investigators discovered the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) quietly changed the state's policy on yellow intervals in 2011, reducing the minimum below federal recommendations. The rule change was followed by engineers, both from FDOT and local municipalities, collaborating to shorten the length of yellow lights at key intersections, specifically those with red light cameras (RLCs).

While yellow light times were reduced by mere fractions of a second, research indicates a half-second reduction in the interval can double the number of RLC citations -- and the revenue they create. The 10 News investigation stemmed from a December discovery of a dangerously short yellow light in Hernando County. After the story aired, the county promised to re-time all of its intersections, and the 10 News Investigators promised to dig into yellow light timing all across Tampa Bay.

Red light cameras generated more than $100 million in revenue last year in approximately 70 Florida communities, with 52.5 percent of the revenue going to the state. The rest is divided by cities, counties, and the camera companies. In 2013, the cameras are on pace to generate $120 million.

"Red light cameras are a for-profit business between cities and camera companies and the state," said James Walker, executive director of the nonprofit National Motorists Association. "The (FDOT rule-change) was done, I believe, deliberately in order that more tickets would be given with yellows set deliberately too short."

The National Motorists Association identifies itself as a grassroots group that's been advocating for drivers since 1982. It fought the national 55 mph speed limit and is now campaigning against red light camera technology, contending the technology primarily targets safe drivers who are victims of short yellow lights or safely roll through right turns.

Proponents of the technology hang their hats on a reduction of serious accidents at RLC intersections. They also point out that every electronically generated violation is reviewed by a local police officer or sheriff's deputy before a citation is validated and sent to a driver. But questions about the fairness and constitutionality of RLCs linger, with questionable motivations of the state's yellow light reductions likely to add fuel to the fire.

FDOT CHANGES THE RULES

Yellow light times are calculated by a complex formula that takes into account variables such as the size of an intersection, the incline/decline of the roadway, driver reaction time, and deceleration rate. But ultimately, the proper intervals come down to a driver's approach speed.

When the Florida legislature approved 2010's Mark Wandell Act, regulating red light cameras across the state, FDOT had a long-standing rule that mandated yellow light calculations factor in either the posted speed limit or 85th percentile of drivers' actual speed -- whichever was greater.  The point of the law was to calculate safe stopping times for the majority of drivers on any given roadway.

But in 2011, FDOT struck the "whichever is greater" language from its Traffic Engineering Manual (TEM), reducing minimum yellow light lengths and allowing communities to re-time their signals at RLC intersections.

The 10 News Investigators found a number of communities shortened their already-safe intervals to the new minimums. In some cases, FDOT mandated longer yellow lights, but seemingly only at intersections that hadn't been in compliance for years.  Around Greater Tampa Bay, the yellow interval reductions typically took place at RLC intersections and corridors filled with RLC cameras.

FDOT's change in language may have been subtle, but the effects were quite significant. The removal of three little words meant the reduction of yellow light intervals of up to a second, meaning drastically more citations for drivers. A 10 News analysis indicates the rule change is likely costing Florida drivers millions of dollars a year.

"I think it's immoral to do that," Walker said. "You're basically punishing safe drivers with deliberately improper engineering. That's not moral to me."

But FDOT claims it had no financial motive to shorten yellow lights; the agency doesn't receive any direct payments from RLC fines.  The state's portion of each $158 citation is split between its General Revenue Fund ($70), the Department of Health Administrative Trust Fund ($10), and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund ($3).

FDOT Traffic Operations engineer Mark Wilson said the agency was merely cleaning up language in its TEM to match federal guidelines. But 10 News found Florida's rules were already in compliance with federal guidelines, and there are no federal suggestions discouraging the use of "whichever is greater." FDOT is also ignoring numerous other federal guidelines (see below) that encourage longer yellow intervals.

The 10 News Investigators showed Wilson the emails from FDOT engineers in Tampa Bay, obtained through public records requests, instructing Pasco County officials in February 2012 to reduce the yellow light intervals on U.S. 19 from the already-short 4.5 seconds to the bare minimum 4.3 seconds. Wilson said he was not aware of the instructions and the engineer, who has since retired, misunderstood the purpose of the rule change.

"Those are (only) minimums. So some of the engineers said, 'Well, it's got to be that exact number.' That's not true. It has to be at least that number," Wilson said.

Wilson added that original language of the Mark Wandell Act required communities to perform engineering studies before installing RLCs, in order to comply with federal recommendations and determine drivers' actual approach speeds. But the requirement never made it into the final bill, allowing communities to install RLCs without any consideration of drivers' actual speed or the time it would take them to stop safely.

FLORIDA IGNORING NATIONAL STANDARDS, OPTING FOR SHORTER YELLOWS

Numerous U.S. Dept. of Transportation (USDOT) documents provide guidance to municipalities on how to install and operate RLC intersections. But FDOT and Florida communities are by-and-large ignoring those recommendations when it comes to yellow light intervals.

A USDOT/Federal Highway Administration (FHA) report said cities should not use speed limit in the yellow interval equation because it results "in more red light violations and higher crash rates." And if drivers' average speeds cannot be calculated, it's recommended engineers use the "speed limit plus 10 mph" variable to producing more conservative, and safer, yellow intervals.

Another report stresses the importance of using 85th percentile speed to calculate yellow intervals, while slide 28 on this report indicates when yellow light times are lengthened, severe crashes drop.   

USDOT also recommends an extra half-second of yellow time at intersections with lots of trucks or elderly drivers to allow them to react safely. And despite the fact that Greater Tampa Bay is home to five of the nation's 12 oldest counties (by median age), it's also home to some of the shortest yellow lights.

"I'm not a law-breaker," said Pasco County retiree Shirley Nagle, who got a red light violation on U.S. 19 after more than five decades without a traffic citation.

Nagle entered the RLC intersection about half a second too late in February, and was issued a $158 ticket, which soon became a $262 fine after she didn't pay it immediately. She told 10 News that she spent 32 years working in the New Jersey courts system and would never break the law. She was just proceeding through the intersection because she thought it was the safest option for her.

"It's terrible," she said of Port Richey's RLCs and short yellow lights. "I think they're cheating the people!"

Wilson told 10 News that FDOT would likely approve any city's request to add a half-second to yellow light times to allow older drivers more time to react and safely stop, but none have.

Wilson also says FDOT is in the process of increasing the "Perception Reaction Time" variable in its statewide yellow light formulas from 1.0 to 1.3 seconds. That would add the 1/3 of a second to yellow light intervals statewide, to better accommodate Florida drivers.

SHORTER YELLOWS: WHO'S DOING IT?

FDOT's revised TEM provides bare minimum yellow light intervals for RLC intersections, based on speed limit. While the formula can fluctuate if the approach grade isn't flat, no consideration is mandated for drivers' actual approach speed:

Ban the Cams note:  NMA recommended minimum Amber times.

http://www.shortyellowlights.com/standards/

25 MPH -- 3.0 Seconds
30 MPH -- 3.5 Seconds
35 MPH -- 4.0 Seconds
40 MPH -- 4.5 Seconds
45 MPH -- 5.0 Seconds
50 MPH -- 5.5 Seconds
55 MPH -- 6.0 Seconds

But 10 News found numerous communities using , or skirting, the minimums:

•Port Richey, New Port Richey, and FDOT collaborated to reduce yellow light times along U.S. 19 from 4.5 seconds to the bare minimum, 4.3 seconds.
•An FDOT analyst instructed New Port Richey to reduce its yellow light interval for the Main St. RLC (at U.S. 19) from 4.0 seconds to the bare minimum, 3.0 seconds.
•Hillsborough County shortened the yellow interval on Bell Shoals Road (at Bloomingdale) in Valrico from 4.0 seconds to the bare minimum, 3.6 seconds.
•Tampa has yellow lights below the state's 4.0-second minimum for 45mph zones at Hillsborough/Nebraska and Adamo/50th. Those RLC intersections turn red after just 3.9 seconds; city engineers claim the complex yellow light formula allows them to go below the TEM minimums.
•St. Petersburg had yellow intervals that were shorter than FDOT minimums, but alert resident Matt Florell pointed them out and the city fixed them. Florell said thousands of citations were issued inappropriately, while a city engineer said four intersections had slight "malfunctions," where the yellow lights were only off by 0.1 seconds. Either way, ticketed drivers were not notified of the issues and no refunds were offered.
•Oldsmar had a similar issue, where its intersection at Tampa Rd. and SR-580 (State St.) was improperly timed.  The yellow light was just 3.0 seconds instead of 4.3 seconds. When the problem was addressed last fall, citations plummeted by 90 percent. But no notices, or refunds, went out to ticketed drivers.
 

FDOT's new rules didn't shorten every RLC intersection's yellow lights; many cities and counties had lights that were so far out of compliance the new minimums actually increased the intervals.  Tampa and Hillsborough County both increased some intersections in recent years, but most in their jurisdictions remain at the bare minimum.

St. Petersburg city councilman Charlie Gerdes has also been pushing his city to lengthen its yellow intervals, about half of which are at the state minimum, but Gerdes has had trouble getting the entire council to follow him on the issue.
 

Read more: Florida quietly shortened yellow light standards & lengths, resulting in more red light camera tck!