Red Light Camera News Aurora, CO RLC been found by citizens group to NOT IMPROVE SAFETY! PETITION DRIVE POSSIBLE!
http://www.aurorasentinel.com/email_push/news/article_46c7a746-1896-11e0-a645-001cc4c002e0.html
Red light cameras: For revenue or safety?
HEATHER L. SMITH/The Aurora Sentinel
Posted: Tuesday, January 4, 2011 11:35 pm
SARA CASTELLANOS, The Aurora Sentinel | 0 comments
AURORA | A group of residents who investigated the city’s use of photo red light camera systems this past fall are seeing red.
The Citizens for Responsible Aurora Government led the investigation and posted the results of their findings on the group’s website Tuesday.
Group member Jim Frye, who led the inquiry, said he’s concerned the city is using the systems solely as a means of generating revenue.
Officials from the city’s police department disagree, saying their main motivation for using the systems — which will increase from four to 14 this year — is to increase public safety.
Frye’s findings show that the number of accidents at the four intersections where photo red light systems are currently installed have largely remained the same, so the systems are counter-productive, he said.
Since the systems were implemented in 2005-06, about 43,400 red light tickets had been issued as of July, and the city has collected about $2,366,000 as of mid-June, according to his findings.
Frye says the evidence shows that the city is generating revenue at the expense of taxpayers instead of making important cuts such as reducing salaries for city employees.
“They’re making cuts on the periphery, not doing serious cuts,” Frye said. “No one wants to step up and make cuts.”
The CRAG group is considering putting an initiative on the 2011 ballot to ask voters whether they want to get rid of the systems.
“We’ll be discussing our strategy and our tactics going forward,” he said.
Roger Cloyd, investigative division chief for Aurora police, said the photo red light systems help change people’s driving behavior and studies show they also reduce the number of serious, broadside or T-bone accidents.
A 23 percent reduction in broadside accidents was seen at the intersection of East Mississippi Avenue and South Chambers Road, one of the four current photo red light locations, but the number of rear-end accidents increased in the three other intersections from 2005 to 2006.
“From the police department’s standpoint, we’re looking at public safety,” Cloyd said. “It isn’t an issue of finance, it’s not an issue of fines, it’s an issue of making Aurora a safer place to drive and holding drivers accountable for running red lights.”
The city expects to make about $6,000 in net profit per month from the red light cameras, and the 10 new cameras are expected to be installed in the next few weeks.
About 25 percent of the fines collected go toward community programs such as teen court and the Drug Abuse Resistance and Education program, said Kim Stuart, the city’s communications director.
Since the new cameras take much clearer photographs, they will also be helpful in catching criminals that have fled the scene of a crime and passed through a photo red light intersection, Cloyd said.
“These cameras could give us a tremendous lead,” Cloyd said.
(Ban the Cams note: You mean Revenue don't ya Cloyd! Be honest, it is much less insulting that way!)
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