http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000532680061

Ban the Cams note:  I came across this post on the Baytown RLC site (anti camera) in response to a letter to the editor "claiming" RLC "reduced" accidents.

(you can read it here:  http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/opinion/article_11c5ade8-6d59-536c-8893-90e69ac74bca.html)

Pre Activation Report:  ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/trf/red_light/pre_act/cleveland_pre.pdf 

Post Activation Report:  ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/trf/red_light/2010_post/cleveland_post.pdf

Quote from Baytown RLC:  Now, in the "after" installation data the state requires a report cover the period that covers July 1 2009 to June 30 2010. The camera were activated on June 5 2010, so for the "after" installation period there was only 25 days of post installation data reported by CPD to TXDOT.

Baytown Redlightcameras:  cleveland Texas councilman lies about accident data, local paper covers it up and refuses to run the truth. You can see my comments below the article.

The words of Bryon Schirmbeck:

I have contacted the editor Ms Brashier through email and voicemail several times about running a piece in oposition to Mr Dodson's demonstrably false articles about the red light cameras in Cleveland. To date she has never contacted me or run anything that shows the other side of the issue. It looks like the advocate is really an advocate for the interests of the city. I hope Ms Brashier decides to run something soon out of a journalistic sense of fairness since no one is fact checking these claims. Here are the facts on the accidents at camera locations in Cleveland. I have no idea where Mr Dodson got his info on crashes but there is only one official source of accident statistics and they don't look like what he just told us. The official camera crash data is the annual report cities are required to send to TXDOT and they are clearly displayed on their website. Don't believe me or Dodson, go read it yourself. The website is http://www.dot.state.tx.us/safety/red_light_reports.htm

State law requires 18 months of pre installation crash data for an intersection with red light cameras. The official report to the state by the Cleveland PD shows there were a total of 24 accidents at the camera locations with 2 red light related right angle accidents, 6 red light related injuries. That is for 18 months before the cameras went up. Now, in the "after" installation data the state requires a report cover the period that covers July 1 2009 to June 30 2010. The camera were activated on June 5 2010, so for the "after" installation period there was only 25 days of post installation data reported by CPD to TXDOT. So what happened in just that 25 days after the cameras went up? According to the official CPD report to TXDOT there were, in less than one month, 23 total accidents, 5 red light related right angle accidents, and 7 red light related injuries. That's right there were almost as many accidents in less than one month of the cameras being up than the entire 18 months before the cameras were installed! There were MORE injury accidents in less than one month than the entire 18 months of pre installation! How can Mr Dodson claim that in slightly less than one year there were a total of 16 accidents when the OFFICIAL report to the state shows 23 accidents in just the first month? There are only 2 real possibilities here, either Mr Dodson is giving us clearly factually incorrect information to fit his agenda or the CPD filed false data to TXDOT. In my experience there have been no shortages of politicians that rush to defend the camera programs and the money they take in, based on this I would put more faith in the police department official reports and TXDOT than a local councilman trying to justify a bad decision. Anyone wanting to read more on the real facts about the dangers these scameras are can see our website, (baytown voted out cameras last year by a very large margin) at saferbaytown.com and another Texas site is citizensforsaferstreets.com. Since the "advocate" won't run the other side of the story it is up to you to do the research on the facts. Shame on you Mr Dodson.

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Title
Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Email
Write the displayed characters
Subscribe via email (registered users only)
	Add Comment Preview