Red Light Camera News 64% of Southlake, TX RLC tickets are for NON Dangerous Right Turns on Red!
Ban the Cams note: For regular readers of the www.newspaper.com, Right turns on red RLC tickets are DONE FOR CASH. In fact you could go from Earth to Jupiter before getting in a wreck doing this. http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/26/2693.asp
It is very obvious that if you were to stop Right turns on red RLC tickets you would make many ticket camera locations UNPROFITABLE.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/09/19/3379833/right-turn-offenses-top-red-light.html
Right-turn offenses top red-light violations
Posted Monday, Sep. 19, 2011 Updated Monday, Sep. 19, 2011
A Red light camera violations for January to March 2011
Northbound David Boulevard at Southlake Boulevard: 2,066 violations; 1,891 from turning right
Westbound Southlake Boulevard at Kimball Avenue: 886 violations; 658 from turning right
Eastbound Texas 114 access road at Gateway Drive: 972 violations; 221 from turning right
Westbound Southlake Boulevard at Carroll Avenue: 611 violations; 545 from turning right
Eastbound Southlake Boulevard at Peytonville Avenue: 498 violations; 138 from turning right
Westbound Southlake Boulevard at Pearson Lane: 349 violations; 12 from turning right
Total: 5,382 citations
Source: City of Southlake
By Nicholas Sakelaris
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SOUTHLAKE--Right turns on red generated 91 percent of the tickets at the Davis-Southlake boulevards intersection, according to documents obtained by The Southlake Journal.
From January to March, one red light camera caught 1,891 drivers turning right on red without coming to a full stop. Another 175 citations were issued for drivers traveling straight through the intersection or turning left during a red light.
The camera captures drivers heading north on Davis Boulevard toward the intersection and generates twice as many citations as the city's other cameras. In one calendar year, from October 2009 to September 2010, the camera caught more than 6,000 drivers. But the city didn't track right turns on red during that period.
That didn't start until the 2011 fiscal year.
In total, the city's six cameras caught 5,382 violators from January to March 2011, 64 percent of which were turning right on red.
But at westbound Southlake Boulevard at Pearson Lane, there were 349 red-light violations. Only 12 were from turning right.
No matter what the violation, motorists get the same $75 citation. The tickets are mailed to the vehicle's owner.
The Department of Public Safety sees no difference between traveling through a red light and failing to come to a complete stop before turning right at a red light, Sgt. Mike Bedrich said.
"They're both the same situation," he said. "It's failure to yield to oncoming traffic. ... The opportunity for an accident goes up."
Bedrich attributed the difference between the Davis-Southlake and the Southlake-Pearson intersections to the larger volume of drivers turning right from Davis to Southlake boulevards.
The city released the information after The Journal filed a request under the Texas Public Information Act.
Where does the money go?
Half the money goes to Red Flex, the Arizona-based company that operates the cameras. The city's latest red light camera report shows the city's six red light cameras collected $303,919 from January to March. Red Flex was paid $151,300 during that time.
Another $33,635 went to cover the city's cost, such as online convenience charges, credit card fees and personnel costs associated with the cameras. That includes the part-time police officer who monitors the cameras to determine whether a violation occurred.
The city split the remaining $118,983 with the state so the city's net revenue was $59,491 for the three-month period.
The city has budgeted more than $177,500 worth of projects this year from the red light camera fund, which can only be used for traffic safety-related initiatives.
That includes $50,000 for back-up batteries for Southlake Boulevard traffic signals so they will continue working after a power outage.
There's another $90,000 for a traffic study on Southlake Boulevard that will analyze new traffic patterns after the medians are installed, said Bob Price, Southlake's director of public works. It will also help with traffic light synchronization, he said.
Other red light camera fund programs that include restriping crosswalks and drunk-driving awareness classes in the public schools.
Subscribe to this comment's feedwritten by tschorn , November 15, 2011
I need 6 people willing to stand at the 3 top intersections from 7am to 6:30 pm with signs warning motorists approaching the intersection that they are about to be ticketed. I promise you we will reduce Southlake's revenues in short order.
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