Red Light Camera News

Thanks to "Four Citizens" Against Red Light Cameras and Richard Brown for the link!

BREAKING NEWS!  New Orleans RLC DETAIL UNDER FEDERAL CRIMINAL  INVESTIGATION!

Sources: Federal investigation into NOPD details underway . wwltv.com
Posted on February 9, 2012 at 6:00 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:05 PM

Scott Satchfield and Mike Perlstein / Eyewitness News

NEW ORLEANS -- At a civil service hearing Thursday, a number of NOPD officers appealed disciplinary action they faced because of their roles with LLCs and the paid detail system.

Now, as they await a decision, attorney Raymond Burkart, III, who represents one of the officers, left the hearing with a feeling of confidence.

"You see it's not an aorta of corruption. You saw evidence that showed the public wants this, that the public benefits from this, and, in ensuring it’s run properly, this can be a great service to the citizens of New Orleans and not on the city's dime," Burkart said.

But while these cases are being handled administratively, sources say a much larger detail controversy -- not involving officers at Thursday’s hearing -- has escalated into a criminal investigation.

New Orleans Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux confirmed that his office's findings have now been forwarded to other agencies.

"The investigations that the mayor publicly requested for red-light details and some other things are open and continuing into 2012," Quatrevaux said.

Sources confirm that two big details administered by ranking officers for the city -- red-light camera tickets and impound lots -- are being scrutinized at the federal level.

Capt. Edwin Hosli and Sgt. Bradley Rhodes ran those lucrative details for the city. Nine months after the review began, Hosli and Rhodes remain on desk duty, awaiting an outcome.

Also on the radar, according to sources, the now-retired sergeant who ran the red light camera detail before Hosli -- Cyril Davallier.

Quatrevaux couldn't comment on any investigations beyond the one conducted by his office, but he remains outspoken about detail reforms.

"You can't fix the NOPD without fixing details and you can't fix the city of New Orleans without fixing the NOPD," he said.

Meanwhile, the NOPD continues its own investigation into the situation.

Thursday, Deputy Chief Arlinda Westbrook issued this statement:

"The NOPD's Public Integrity Bureau has been working on this investigation from its start. The Superintendent awaits its findings."

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/02/red-light_cameras_settled.php

Houston's Red-Light Camera Nightmare Is Finally Over

By Richard Connelly Wed., Feb. 8 2012 at 12:31 PM  Categories: Courts

Going, going, gone.

It's a day that many thought would never come: The end of Houston's turbulent, farcical red-light camera circus.

City Council voted today to approve a $4.8 million settlement with American Traffic Solutions, the company that has been sore ever since Houstonians voted to remove the hated devices.

The cameras, which have not been operational since August, will start coming down in 60 days.

If you happen to have a ticket from when the cameras were still working and racking up big bucks http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/08/the_10_most_lucrative_red-ligh.php, you are liable for it, and ATS will continue to get a portion of your cash.

Mayor Annise Parker tweeted:

The red light camera era is officially over. Cameras have been done since last August. ATS contract dispute now settled. Time to move on.
 

http://www.mercurynews.com/fremont/ci_19929724

First Fremont red light camera protest draws backers
by Wes Bowers
Posted:   02/09/2012 01:39:32 PM PST

Thanks to the Internet and word-of-mouth, a Fremont-based group opposed to the use of red light traffic cameras attracted 30 like-minded individuals to stand in protest at the intersection of Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard Saturday.

The Red Light Camera Protest Group of Southern Alameda County held its first protest at noon, opposed to the red light cameras' use in Fremont and other communities in the East Bay.

Led by Fremont resident Roger Jones, the group made about 35 cardboard signs with messages reading "Ban the Cams" and "Safety Not Revenue."

They stood at Fremont's busiest intersection for more than an hour.

Many who appeared heard about the event through meetup.com, where Jones has set up an online discussion group. Others joining him were neighbors, family friends or residents who started the protest group with him.

In 2010, Jones appeared before Fremont City Council when the city approved a new contract with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. to upgrade existing traffic cameras and install five new ones throughout the city.

At the time, Jones urged the city to seek a less expensive contract with another company. He also suggested the city increase its frequency times for yellow lights by one second to give motorists a longer period to slow down when approaching intersections.

Last January, Jones addressed the city council and said Fremont only adds one-tenth of a second to its three-second yellow lights. He added between Nov. 1, 2009 and

Oct. 31, 2010 there were 11,062 red light violations in the city.
 

City of Newark, Jones added, increased its yellow lights by seven-tenths of a second and saw just 575 violations in the same time frame.

However, Fremont staff say the yellow light times here are already one-second longer than state standards set forth by the California Department of Transportation.

City staff along with Fremont Police Chief Craig Steckler suggested Jones lobby that department to get standards changed.

Jones has since been urging other communities to increase their yellow light times, and wants to make that message clear in future protests.

Many who joined Jones Saturday said they had received tickets for red light violations, most of which resulted from turning right on red.

Read more: First Fremont red light camera protest draws backers

Just goes to show the South Florida Towns INSTALLED RLC FOR MONEY!  Towns might cancel ATS because of processing delays!

(thanks to www.stpetecameras.org for the link!)

I think this one comment on the article really brought out the truth of it:

Quote:  Reality Time at 9:40 PM February 9, 2012

While the delays might be good news for red-light runners, some Broward and Palm Beach County cities are being cheated out of revenue that would have come from the citations.

"This is just not an acceptable business practice," said Pembroke Pines Commissioner Iris Siple.

 

It's okay that they aren't getting the money...It was never about the money, at least that's what they told us...They feel all warm and fuzzy inside just knowing that we're all safe even if they are losing thousands of dollars a day....Bunch of lying two faced bastards!

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-red-light-camera-ticket-delay-20120209,0,2022390,full.story

5,000 Broward and Palm Beach county red-light camera ticket recipients don't have to pay
Some cities are losing cash because of camera company's process delay
 

By Ariel Barkhurst, Sun Sentinel 
February 10, 2012
 

Red-light camera tickets are getting to drivers' mailboxes as usual, but a processing delay means there won't be any consequences for more than 5,000 drivers if they just don't pay.

American Traffic Solutions, the Arizona company mostly responsible for Florida's proliferation of red-light cameras, has not been processing tickets fast enough.

That's a problem because Florida law says both a traffic ticket, and a second ticket that will go out if the first is not paid, have to be processed within 60 days of a traffic violation. If both tickets aren't processed, the initial fine is still sent. But it can never be enforced.

That means some red-light runners in Broward and Palm Beach counties who got a ticket recently and don't pay their $158 within the 30-day time limit don't have anything to worry about.

While the delays might be good news for red-light runners, some Broward and Palm Beach County cities are being cheated out of revenue that would have come from the citations.

"This is just not an acceptable business practice," said Pembroke Pines Commissioner Iris Siple.

Read more: Just goes to show the South Florida Towns INSTALLED RLC FOR MONEY! Towns might cancel ATS over it!

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/37/3711.asp

Atlanta, Georgia Stops Red Light Camera Collections
Atlanta, Georgia caught ignoring red light camera law, faces multi-million dollar state penalty.

The red light camera program in Atlanta, Georgia is effectively over. City officials admitted to WGCL-TV investigative reporter Jeff Chirico earlier this week that they would no longer pursue any collections against photo ticket recipients, leaving them free to ignore citations. That means Atlanta is likely to join Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas as major cities that have recently shut down photo ticketing programs.

The city was caught red-handed ignoring a state law that took effect in 2009 requiring the use of certified mail for any second notice of non-payment of a red light camera ticket (view law http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/23/2374.asp). The city and its private vendor, Xerox/Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), sent 15,000 tickets to collections without having sent any certified notice, according to WGCL's investigation.

"The reason we had them sent certified is to ensure it's not going to the wrong address," state Senator Barry Loudermilk, primary author of the law in question, told TheNewspaper in an interview. "We've had instances where the owner of the vehicle was not the driver, and we know they weren't because the owner of the vehicle was out of the country for six months. So the registered owner is out, the citation is sent to their home, they have someone picking up their mail and it sits on their credenza for when they get back. They get back and find out that now they've got a collection notice."

Loudermilk initially wanted all citations to be sent by certified mail, but municipal representatives objected strongly because the Post Office adds $2.95 to the cost of mailing for the service. As a compromise, the law only required second and subsequent notices to be sent with signature confirmation.

In 2009, Atlanta was also caught ignoring the law's other legal requirement http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/27/2720.asp, lengthening yellow times at red light camera intersections by one second. This provision reduced violations and ticketing revenue by 80 percent. Atlanta eventually corrected its signal timing, and Loudermilk does not believe the city's explanation for ignoring the certified mail requirement.

"They know what the law was," Loudermilk said. "But they were cutting costs because the revenue dropped after we added the time to the yellow light. So they were trying to make up the difference."

The city now faces a significant dilemma as the law includes an enforcement provision that requires any jurisdiction using red light cameras caught violating the law's provisions must forfeit all camera revenue to the state's general fund. Though the law makes it clear that the state transportation department is "authorized to conduct an investigation into the acts and practices of the governing authority with respect to the use of traffic-control signal monitoring device," the agency has been reluctant to step in on the mailing issue. Substantiating the city's lapse would cost the city millions. Loudermilk intends to seek an attorney's general ruling clarifying the matter.

Atlanta's contract with ACS expires on March 16.

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/council-32744-light-action.html

Class action red light camera suit before City Council
February 06, 2012 3:58 PM
Brooke Edwards Staggs, City Editor

VICTORVILLE • The City Council is expected to take positions Tuesday night on a potential class action lawsuit stemming from its red light cameras and on whether LA-Ontario International Airport should move to local control.

Barstow attorney Robert Conaway sent notice he intends to file a class action lawsuit against the city of Victorville and Redflex Traffic Systems unless changes are made with the way red-light cameras are handled here.

The city’s attorneys are recommending the council deny Conaway’s claim and refer it back to staff. If that happens, Conaway has said he will file the lawsuit, seeking more than $9 million in damages on behalf of 4,300 people who’ve received tickets from Victorville’s red light cameras since they were installed in 2008.

Read more: (California) Class action red light camera suit before City Council

Miami to increase All Red Clearance Interval.  NOW HOW ABOUT INCREASE THE AMBER (or does ATS prohibit that in their contract because that will REDUCE VIOLATIONS and reveneue)???

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Dade-Resolution-Passed-to-Reprogram-Lights-and-Reduce-Collisions--138889224.html

Dade Resolution Passed to Reprogram Lights and Reduce Collisions
The legislation will enforce a clearance where lights in all directions will be red for four seconds

By Karen Franklin |  Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012  |  Updated 6:52 PM EST

Miami-Dade County Commissioners passed a new resolution Tuesday that will reprogram traffic lights in hopes of reducing car crashes at intersections.

The legislation, sponsored by County Commissioner Joe A. Martinez, will enforce an "all red clearance interval" where traffic lights in all directions will be red for four seconds between signal changes.

"As people become accustomed to it, it should make the red light cameras obsolete," Martinez said.

A study by the American Automobile Association and the city of Detroit found that the measure would be effective in reducing collisions because there would be a greater separation between moving vehicles, the county said.

Martinez created the resolution because he thought that the red light tickets in Miami-Dade County were becoming unfair.

"There are other ways than punishing you with a ticket," Martinez said.

The clearance interval would be enforced at high-crash, high-volume intersections in Miami-Dade County where motorists try to "beat" red lights, the county said. The intersections and exactly how the lights will be reprogrammed will be determined by Mayor Carlos Gimenez within the next two months.

Accidents at intersections account for 48 percent of injury-related traffic accidents nationwide and cause 800 deaths yearly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

(Ban the Cams note: The 48% claim by NHTSA might be counting NON traffic light intersections in the numbers.    http://www.banthecams.org/2372-is-nhtsa-48-claim-counting-non-traffic-light-accidents-in-their-numbers.html )

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/16688987/cbs-atlanta-investigation-may-lead-city-to-turn-off-red-light-cameras

EXCLUSIVE: CBS Atlanta investigation may cause city to turn off red light cameras

 Posted: Feb 06, 2012 6:12 PM EST Updated: Feb 06, 2012 10:45 PM EST

By Jeff Chirico
 

ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) -
The city of Atlanta is "reassessing" the future of its red light camera program after CBS Atlanta exposed the city for illegally operating it for three years, according to the city's interim chief operating officer Duriya Farooqui.
 
"We at the city should have caught it sooner," said Farooqui.

A five-month-long CBS Atlanta investigation found the city had not properly notified owners of vehicles caught running a red light by cameras.

According to a state law passed in 2008, governments that operate red light cameras must send a second violation notice by certified mail if the first notice was not paid.

Sen. Barry Loudermilk, an outspoken critic of red light cameras, said sending the second notice certified is necessary to ensure the vehicle owner received the notice before it is sent to collections.

Loudermilk said an unpaid fine sent to a collection agency can damage a person's credit worthiness and cost them money. 

CBS Atlanta found more than 15,000 unpaid violation notices were sent to collections without the proper second notice between 2009 and 2011.
 
Our investigation may lead to the city to suspend the red light camera program because it could be too expensive to operate within the law. 

Farooqui wouldn't speculate how much it would cost the city to send second notices.
 
She confirmed the city would reassess the program in the coming months.

Farooqui said after CBS Atlanta's investigation, the city worked with the collection agency to remove any negative marks on the credit history of drivers who were not properly notified.
 

http://www.bradenton.com/2012/02/07/3851207/defensive-driving-not-red-light.html
Published: Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2012

Defensive driving, not red light cameras, keep motorists safe
Letter to the Editor, Feb. 7

We can have a red light camera at each intersection in Manatee County, but they will not stop red light runners.

I was driving my sister-in-law’s vehicle with her next to me. I was the first to arrive at the stop light at 15th Street East and S.R. 70 to make my left-hand turn.
 

The arrow light turned green, but I waited a couple seconds before I put my foot to the gas pedal, and I am happy I did.
 

I thank God for good peripheral vision. I saw a white van on the outside lane with another vehicle coming up behind him in the middle lane. I did not step on the gas and just waited to see what this vehicle would do.
 

Just as I suspected, a man driving a black Corvette with the top down did not slow down, did not look either direction, probably driving at around 45-50 mph drove through the red light without a care in the world. Thank God I am a careful driver and I did not step on the gas and go as soon as the light turned green.
 

After the vehicle passed us, my sister-in-law said, “We would be dead!” I asked why. Her reply, “Because I am one of those people who step on the gas and go as soon as the light turns green.”
 

Those couple seconds before I put my foot on the gas saved our lives. We can’t control other people’s driving habits, but we can be more defensive about the way we drive -- not only to protect ourselves, but also our loved ones who are in the vehicle with us.
 

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office teaches us how to protect ourselves from crime. I think the DMV needs to start teaching us how to protect ourselves from bad drivers.
 

Elizabeth M. Sullivan
East Manatee
 

Thanks to WrongOnRed for this post.

George Orwell’s book “1984″ envisioned a dark future of war, totalitarian rule and constant surveillance by the government through cameras everywhere.  Many drivers feel that the growing forests of traffic cameras are bringing Orwell’s dark scenario to America’s highways.

Traffic enforcement cameras are unmanned, automatic ticketing machines used by municipalities to enforce traffic laws. The two most typical installations across the United States are red light cameras and speed enforcement cameras.

• Red light cameras are triggered to take snapshots of vehicles that enter an intersection above a preset minimum speed and after the signal turns red. Cars that trigger the system get a ticket. 
• Speed enforcement cameras use a technology called “automatic number plate recognition” (ANPR) that identifies the vehicle at point A and then measures the time it takes to travel to point B. If the tagged vehicle passes point B faster than the computer expects it to, that car gets a ticket.

Drivers loathe these systems for being unfair, invasive to privacy and a

Read more: Traffic Cam Bans: Is Big Brother Watching You in Your State?

http://www.chicagonow.com/publius-forum/2012/02/red-light-cameras-governments-its-for-public-safety-lie/

Red Light Cameras: Government's 'It's For Public Safety' Lie
By publiusforum, Monday at 1:38 pm  -By Warner Todd Huston

Red light cameras are a mixed bag across the USA. Big cities love them, small cities increasingly less. But one thing is universal where ever they are tried. The whole thing is about revenue generation, not public safety. Most city administrations try desperately to hide their greed behind hoary claims of safeguarding the public, but at least Toledo, Ohio has dispensed with some of that subterfuge and is admitting straight out that making money is a main goal.

We here in Illinois are once again being confronted with public officials contemplating more red light cameras. They claim it is for "public safety," but we all know it is just because politicians are greedy for more money. At least Toledo officials were more honest than Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Last month Toledo’s finance director told the city council http://www.13abc.com/story/16603126/2012/01/25/toledo-looks-to-add-more-red-light-cameras that they were installing 11 new red light cameras with the expectation that the project would "raise" $320,000. What did the city need that new revenue for? More government spending, of course.

Oh, and it's for the children, too. Toledo Councilman Steve Steel was excited to get the new revenue. "It does restore the biggest thing we were looking for, which was giving kids something constructive to do in a positive atmosphere," he crowed.

So, now officials will berate you if you stand against these useless devices that are just a means to give government more money to spend on pet projects because, darn it, it's for the children! WHY do you hate kids, taxpayers?

Unfortunately for Toledo's city fathers, red light cameras are increasingly failing at both revenue generation and public safety. Many cities that once had them have pulled them out because revenues dropped over time while maintenance costs continued to rise not to mention that some cities have found that the red light cameras actually cause more accidents http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/increase-accidents instead of improving driver safety.

Worse, some cities have played games with the cameras in order to keep revenues flowing into their profligate hands. At least six cities were caught shortening yellow light times http://blog.motorists.org/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-yellow-light-times-for-profit/ in order to catch more drivers running red lights.

But we don't even have to stray from Toledo to show that new red light cameras won't bring in a never ending stream of spending cash. Ohio native Maggie Thurber notes http://thurbersthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/01/run-red-light-its-for-children.html that Toledo has already seen revenues fall from other red light camera installations.

The problem, as I've detailed previously http://thurbersthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/11/another-i-told-you-so-on-toledos-budget.html, is that the more people get used to red light and speed cameras, the less the revenue there is from violations. Since 2009 when the city added speed cameras and negotiated a higher percentage of the fines, the revenue has steadily decreased. This means that the city, in order to continue to collect their targeted budget amounts, must constantly expand the big-brother-type surveillance.

Yet, here they are trying for more red light cameras. Why? Because they imagine a pot o' gold under every red light in the city. When politicians get dollar signs in their eyes its hard to shake them from the dreamy dream of more cash to spend on their pet projects. If it's all about bringing in money they can spend. It has zip to do with safety.

So much for the "safety" reason.  Daytona Beach RLC not brining in enough money to balance the budget!

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2012/02/06/daytona-beach-money-woes-growing-worse.html
 
Daytona Beach money woes growing worse
By EILEEN ZAFFIRO-KEAN, Staff Writer 
  February 6, 2012 1:00 AM

DAYTONA BEACH -- Faced with some of the biggest financial challenges in years, city department heads are being asked to pare their budgets by 10 percent and the city is freezing 23 vacant positions.

At the police department, that means there's a goal to cut the $30 million budget by $3 million. It also means the police department is keeping at least 15 of its positions vacant, including posts for three lieutenants and two sergeants. When two deputy chiefs leave in the coming months, the positions will not be filled.

The fire department, which has a $10.6 million budget, is trying to trim about $1 million.

Those are decisions City Manager Jim Chisholm said Friday he's made as he and other top city leaders wrestle with some grim budgetary realities surfacing over the past few months.

Chisholm and city commissioners are trying to figure out how to handle anemic revenues and pay back $2.15 million taken out of the city's emergency fund last fall. With $3 million forecast to come in from red light camera violations by Sept. 30 and not a penny of net revenue collected in the first three months of the budget year that started Oct. 1, they could be adjusting for that as well.

City leaders know they don't have an easy task, but they say they have time to figure things out.

"We're scrutinizing our budget very closely," Chisholm said.
 

"This is the point we really roll up our sleeves," said City Commissioner Rob Gilliland, who expects the toughest budget year he's experienced in his six years on the commission. "No one knows all the answers at this point. I'm confident we'll come up with solutions."

For now, there are problems. Fines and forfeitures, which include money collected from red light camera violations, are budgeted to amass $8 million by Sept. 30. As of Dec. 31, three months into the budget year that started Oct. 1, only $372,380 had come in.

Of the total $810,660 expected from the gas tax, $66,600 had come in by the end of 2011. Of the $714,00 expected from impact fees by this fall, just $4,610 had come in by Dec. 31.

Read more: So much for the "safety" reason. Daytona Beach RLC not brining in enough money to balance budget!

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120205/NEWS01/302050032/Traffic-photo-fines-hit-red-light

Traffic photo fines hit a red light
Defenders say photo evidence impossible to cross-examine; two Brevard cities will continue using camera technology
 

 
Indialantic man fights red light ticket and wins: After being issued a red-light camera ticket Jonathan Krauser of Indialantic hired an attorney and the case was thrown out. Video by Craig Rubadoux and Breuse Hickman.

Written by
Rick Neale
FLORIDA TODAY

Who has red-light cameras?

Palm Bay and Cocoa Beach are the only cities in Brevard County that currently have red-light cameras. Other cities including Titusville, Cape Canaveral and Satellite Beach have considered them but ultimately decided not to go with the devices. Melbourne has approved the use of red-light cameras, but is holding off on installing them until various legal challenges are settled.

Last year, unblinking mechanical sentries captured pictures of thousands of cars and trucks running red lights in Palm Bay and Cocoa Beach.
Based on those, private companies sent letters to the owners of the vehicles, complete with the pictures of the incident. Mail in a $158 civil penalty within 30 days, the letters said, or face a red-light traffic ticket and a heftier, $267 fine.

In most cases, the owners simply paid the penalty, and the matter was closed.

But about 300 times, people decided to fight the matter in court. Two-thirds of those cases were dismissed or the drivers were found not guilty. In almost all of the other cases, the vehicle owners ended up having “adjudication withheld,” meaning they paid a fine — sometimes a smaller one — or attended driving school instead, and they kept their driving records clean.

Judges, citing ethics rules, won’t comment on the reasons why people who challenge the citations have been so successful. Police departments are reticent to talk about the programs in detail but say they believe the cameras have improved public safety.

Lawyers, though, are happy to talk about the sucessful challenges they’ve made in court. They have argued that the photos are hearsay evidence that is not admissable in court.

Stephen Koons, a Melbourne attorney, isn’t sure exactly how many times he’s argued against such citations in court, saying it was at least “dozens.”

And, he said, every single case has been dismissed arguing against the use of the photos as evidence.

A police officer who issued a normal red-light ticket could be cross-examined in court about the circumstances of the incident, he explained. That can’t happen with a time-stamped photo.

“When you have writing on a piece of paper ... you can’t cross examine a piece of paper,” Koons said.

“You just can’t have evidence that drops out of the sky,” he added. “and that’s what this is, evidence that dropped out of the sky.”

Read more: Traffic photo fines hit a red light

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/05/MNGJ1N2VRO.DTL&ao=all
Red-light cameras boost coffers, rile drivers
Kevin Fagan

 
Sunday, February 5, 2012

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Phuong Nguyen sees the camera at 27th and Northgate in Oakland flicker all day from her family's flower store.

California has the most expensive red-light camera tickets in the world - the fine is so steep that one camera in Oakland generates more than $3 million a year - and a Fremont man is launching a protest group to do something about that.
 

If Roger Jones has his way, that freezing dread that knifes through a driver the moment he sees the overhead flash of a traffic camera will become a thing of the past.
 

But he's facing quite an uphill fight against officials hungry for the cash the cameras sweep in and police who are convinced they make the roads safer.
 

Anyone in California snapped violating a red light pays a fine of $480, and according to the traffic-watch site TheNewspaper.com, no other jurisdiction anywhere has a tab that high. The second-highest fine in the United States is $250, and it is usually more like $100.
 

The Legislature passed two bills in the past two years that would have reduced the fine or limited the cameras' use, but both were vetoed. When he killed the most recent measure, Gov. Jerry Brown said the matter should be left to local jurisdictions.
 

The state Department of Finance has estimated that red-light cameras bring in more than $80 million annually to the state and $50 million to cities and counties - and that, Jones and his supporters say, is the real reason they continue to snap away at motorists.
 

Not all $480 from each ticket goes to the cities or counties that authorize the cameras - more than half goes to the state or to the companies that run the devices. And not all tickets result in convictions.
 

But the haul is still out of proportion to the overall set of offenses, critics say. And so even though the fine for running a red light is the same whether a camera or a live police officer generates it, the cameras draw the fire because they can issue far more tickets than a single cop sitting at an intersection.

'Gotcha'

"Is there a limit to how much 'gotcha government' we have to put up with?" asked Jones, 62, a retired distribution manager who began crusading against red-light cameras after he got a ticket from one in 2009. "Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should."
 

His newly formed organization, the Red Light Camera Protest Group, picketed at Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard in Fremont on Saturday, waving signs to approving honks from several motorists. It was their first protest, and the two dozen who participated plan more in the coming months - all calling for the elimination of red-light cameras and a reduction in the fine.
 

"I think we'd all be better off without them," Jones said. "There are better ways to address the problem."

Read more: Red-light cameras boost coffers, rile drivers

http://warondriving.com/post/16931208149/red-light-camera-truth-2

The Truth Behind Red Light Cameras: Part 2

By Gina Williams

The Accident “Conspiracy”

Red Light Cameras (RLCs) are supposed to prevent accidents.  However, according to various studies http://warondriving.com/redlightcameras, RLCs actually cause harmful accidents and it isn’t all that surprising. 

It makes sense that when people see a yellow light that they’ll slam on their brakes out of fear of being ticketed because they know they’re being watched; given the same situation with no camera, the same people would go through the yellow light. 

After all, yellow lights don’t mean stop, they mean “caution” because a red light is approaching. 

Flawed Studies and Conflicts of Interest

Two extremely biased and thoroughly debunked studies are usually cited as proof that there is some type of safety benefit associated with the use of RLCs. 

The first is a 2005 Federal Highway Administration (FHA) study which gives red light cameras credit for a decrease right-angle crashes.  However, this report made that conclusions based on only 7 jurisdictions which combined have less cameras than the Houston, TX area.

According to photoenforced.com which hosts a database of all RLCs and speed cameras in the U.S., 1,300 cities use RLCs; given this, the sample size that the FHA used to conduct its study was entirely too small to truly represent RLCs effects sufficiently. 

Additionally, said study has been criticized due to conflicts of interest, as well as methodical and analytical flaws in their research and findings. Its co-directors conducted research for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) in the past, meaning that the FHA and IIHS financial ties to each other. 

IIHS is a private company that represents the auto insurance industry which has continuously raised rates based on photo ticketing data as that system proliferated during the last decade. See this report http://health.usf.edu/NR/rdonlyres/2511FA2D-6BC2-4091-9FD5-DBF711F420AA/0/2011pp00109FPHROrbanetal.pdf for extended details on the FHA’s study’s methodical and analytics flaws.

The other report that’s usually referred to by companies like Redflex and American Traffic Solutions was conducted by the IIHS themselves. Not only was their data almost completely irrelevant http://warondriving.com/post/9107744878/iihs-traffic-study-reduced-accidents in some cases, but a recent report shows the IIHS study, when reviewed by peers shows an increase in fatalities http://thenewspaper.com/news/36/3699.asp at red light camera intersections.

Other Studies Suggest An Increase in Accidents

On the other hand, studies conducted by various Departments of Transportation, universities, and media outlets contradict the above study and others. 

According to a 2004 North Carolina A & T University study that examined 17,271 crashes, “When analyzing total crashes…RLCs have a statistically significant (p<0.001) and large (40% increase) effect on accident rates.”  

According to a 2005 Virginia Department of Transportation funded study, in Virginia, RLCs decrease the number of right-angle crashes with injuries.  However, they also lead to an increase in rear-end crashes and the number of overall crashes resulting in injuries.  This study was based on an 18 month study of 7 jurisdictions in Virginia.  Unlike the FHA study above, this study was applied only to Virginia.

Given the funds these RLCs generate for governments, especially in an economy experiencing financial problems, it is difficult to take government studies that support RLCs seriously.  It’s in their interest to continue the programs, and in order to continue them, the programs must be justified to the public; thus “studies” proving RLCs effectiveness are conducted and released to the public.

Gina Williams is a guest post and article writer bringing to us information on RLCs. Gina also writes about motorcycle accident statistics http://www.motorcycleaccident.org/motorcycle-accidents-statistics-and-possible-causes

http://warondriving.com/post/16875838390/red-light-camera-truth

The Truth Behind the Camera: Part 1

by Gina Williams

In the early 1990s red light cameras (RLCs) began to be used in the United States.  Almost 22 years later, 26 states and Washington DC have implemented these cameras in various major cities. 

RLCs are supposed to prevent deadly accidents by making people think twice before gunning it through a yellow light, or blatantly running a red light.  Their proposed purpose and their actual purpose, however, are two different things entirely. 

Looking at government conducted or funded studies will lead readers to believe that RLCs work.  Digging a bit deeper, however, leads to a different conclusion for two reasons.  First, studies demonstrate that RLCs are associated with increased accident rates at intersections. 

Second, the private companies running the red light programs and our government have a vested interest in ticketing people; they want people to run red lights because they make money from it, and a ton of money at that. 

Sadly, the steps both entities have taken to ensure their own financial benefits pose safety threats to citizens.

Why They Want Us To Run Red Lights 

How Things Seem 

Here is how RLC programs generally work:  Private companies are contracted by local municipalities to install camera surveillance systems.  If someone runs a red light, multiple pictures are taken of their vehicle.  The pictures are later “inspected” by a law enforcement official; if it is deemed that the citizen ran the red light, they are sent a ticket in the mail.

Sounds straight forward, right?  People who break the law are ticketed and others that would break the law think twice.  Lives are saved.  World peace is probably achieved somewhere in there as well. 

How Things Are

Remember how people always say that nothing is ever as it seems?  That’s the case here.  It seems like our government is trying to protect us, but like everything else in life, the government’s motives are based on financial gain. 

Contracted, private companies, such as Redflex, American Traffic Solutions, and Affiliated Computer Services, actually have quota clauses written in their contracts with municipalities; as a result of that and the desire for financial gain, municipalities gladly take actions that encourage motorists to run red lights. 

According to The Atlantic Cities, “The problem [with RLCs] is that many of the contracts signed with these companies force cities to commit to standards that encourage the running of red lights. Some of the contracts, written by the companies themselves and later signed by municipal governments, require each camera to record a certain number of red light-runners every year and for police departments to issue a minimum number of tickets.

Read more: The Truth Behind the Camera: Part 1

New Port Richey RLC about the MONEY!

Ban the Cams note:  We believe this was a split second "violation".  Most drivers see the yellow and that is it.  Most of these "violation" are more the result of short ambers.  If New Port Richey were to use 5.5 second yellow lights (like was tried in VA years ago), the violations would drop 90% for the striaght thus.  http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/fairfax  (Be warned that cities that are this small also tend to do stop line and right turn on red "violations".)

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/readers-react-to-red-light-cameras-and-gas-prices/1213647

Red-light breach hard to believe

I am now more than certain that I was victimized in a scheme to fill the coffers of the city of New Port Richey by its red-light camera operation.

I am 83 years old and I have been driving for at least since I was 20 years old and have not received a citation of any kind in probably the last 50 years. When I received a citation in the mail, I said to my wife I don't believe I went through a red light, but after seeing the picture I had to believe.

Now seeing a Jan. 15 column in the Pasco Times I can understand how the camera picked me up as the timing is probably off. I would appreciate it if the city would take another look at this particular intersection timing so as not to deceive other drivers in the interest of making money.

I do believe in the program of safety but I believe this operation is not about safety but it is about the vendor and the city of New Port Richey taking the opportunity to collect a fine on the unsuspecting drivers.

Furthermore, they should do the right thing and return the so-called fine of $158, which I think is outrageous for a first infraction of the law.

Aaron Weinberg, Trinity

Could Farragut RLC be UNPROFITABLE since city can no longer cite for right turn on red scam??

Ban the Cams doesn't know Redflex's mininum number of citations it needs per installation.   But information from a shut down ATS site in Lubbock, TX years ago indicated they needed 20 per day (10 per 12 hours) to break even.  http://lubbockonline.com/stories/041807/loc_041807033.shtml  "The city needs 10 violations per every 12 hours to cover the cost of the system."

(Thanks to www.motorists.org for the link).

http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2012/02/15064.html

Town releases camera stats
- Thu, Feb, 2, 2012

Farragut saw fewer red-light camera recorded traffic violations in the final three months of 2011.

According to the Town’s traffic enforcement program statistics for Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2,703 incidents were created and 1,400 citations actually were issued.

“The number of citations was up from the 2011 third quarter, possibly due to the increased traffic during the holiday season,” said Ben Harkins, Farragut’s Traffic Enforcement Program manager.

“We averaged less than four citations per intersection per day with a total of just over 15 citations issued per day,” he added.

Incidents were down, however, from the same period in 2010, perhaps because of a recent change in state law, subject to a lawsuit from Farragut’s traffic vendor Redflex.

(Ban the Cams note:  TN BANS CITIES FROM ISSUING RIGHT TURN ON RED RLC TICKETS.  Redfex and ATS are suing saying their "contracts" should override the legislature! http://www.farragutpress.com/articles/2011/11/14817.html

Quote:  "Farragut’s photo enforcement manager, Ben Harkins said the Town has since seen its citations drop by nearly half since it stopped ticketing illegal right turns on red. Knoxville reportedly has seen its citations drop by almost 90 percent." )

“Due to the change in State of Tennessee law, fewer incidents were recorded in the fourth quarter since citations cannot be issued to those that continue to violate the law by failing to stop before turning right on red,” a Town press release stated.  

 
Of the incidents created in fourth quarter 2011, approximately 48 percent were rejected and did not result in a citation being issued.

Of the incidents that weren’t cited, Redflex did not process 901 because of technical issues of lack of information and 402 were rejected by Harkins.

For more information about Farragut’s traffic enforcement program, visit www.townoffarragut.org/

http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_19880077

Group to protest red-light cameras in Fremont
Group wants longer yellow-light times
By Rob Dennis
The Argus
Posted:   02/02/2012 03:53:56 PM PST
Updated:   02/03/2012 06:38:48 AM PST

A small group of red-light camera opponents will protest Saturday in Fremont at the intersection of Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard.

The Red Light Camera Protest Group of Southern Alameda County will begin the demonstration at noon. The group plans to hold more protests in the future at other places around the county.

The group was organized by Roger Jones, who has urged cities to increase yellow-light times to allow drivers more time to stop.

Jones ultimately would like cities to get rid of the cameras, or at least reduce fees for those who turn on red lights.

"The group hopes to bring the public's attention to the fact that these cameras are much more about revenue, and not safety," he said.

Police and city officials, though, say cameras reduce the number of collisions and pay for themselves.

In Fremont, officials say their yellow light times already are a second longer than state Department of Transportation standards.

Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Oakland and Berkeley are among the cities that use cameras to catch drivers who run red lights.

The cameras snap a photo of the front and rear license plates of any car that enters an intersection when the light is red. Some systems, including those in Fremont, also shoot video.

Fremont installed its first cameras in 2000. The City Council in 2010 approved a new contract with Redflex Traffic Systems to upgrade the 10 existing cameras and

install up to five new ones.

Online
For more information about the protest, go to www.meetup.com/Red-Light-Camera-Protest-Group-of-Southern-Alameda-County.

http://economicharmonies.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/putting-out-the-red-light/

Putting Out The Red Light

By Joel Poindexter
When looking to find out why something is the way it is in government, the best advice is to ask Cui Bono, or “to whose benefit?” The natural progression then becomes following the money. Applying these two rules to the issue of Red Light cameras, it quickly becomes clear who benefits and to where the money flows, and we arrive at our answer to the question: why?

Last week the KCMO Police Department released the details of a study concerning the safety record of Kansas City’s red light cameras. Surprising many, the study revealed that wrecks have increased at intersections with cameras, while intersections without them saw fewer crashes. According to the report, wrecks increased 18% on average at most of the intersections overlooked by cameras. Injury accidents increased at three quarters of these intersections, including the only fatality in the study’s timeline.

 American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the corporation which holds the contract for the cameras has denied the validity of the study. ATS spokesperson Steve Glorioso declared in an interview with Fox4 News that the cameras are indeed working. How else might we expect the company’s representative respond?

Of course they’ll attempt to discredit the Police Department study and highlight only the perceived benefits in safety that their hand-picked studies indicate. The simple fact is that independent researchers, such as Professor Rajiv Shah, whom the Star’s Christine Vendel referenced, support the current findings. While red light running tends to fall in cities with cameras, the total number of accidents rise dramatically.

If the cameras are not providing the boost in safety which City residents were promised, the only alternative purpose must be to generate revenue from local motorists. To that end it simply comes down to collusion on the part of big business and city government, where the two join forces in order to extract money from the population.

The business model is, roughly, as follows. ATS and other similar companies develop red-light cameras. They next move to use the long arm of government to sell this equipment and collect payments. In some cases it’s so lucrative that cameras are installed free of charge, because they’ll easily collect enough fees to offset the initial loss.

The municipal government then agrees to employ a handful of officers reviewing footage and writing tickets. The two groups then share the proceeds from the racket. ATS rakes in profits and the city enjoys a new flow of money without having to impose new taxes. They both win. The losers end up being the tax payers who have less money, fewer police on the street to protect them, and a much higher risk of being involved in a collision while moving about town.

It’s unclear exactly how much has been collected over the previous couple of years, but estimates could put the number in the tens of millions. If the data showed that we all had a much safer and less stressful commute I suppose the cost might be worth it. But that’s not even a debate we can have right now, since we know that safety concerns have not been met, and the company responsible is trying to suppress this fact.

A public meeting will be held on February 28 at city hall concerning the issue. With luck, residents will attend and voice their concerns over safety and the true purpose of the cameras. Demonstrators with the Liberty Restoration Project were at one camera intersection this past weekend and they plan additional protests in the coming weeks to help educate motorists. A petition to remove the cameras has also begun to circulate. Let’s hope they’re successful.