Red Light Camera News Longer amber safer, Let’s make politicians see the light
http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/columnists/tom_brodbeck/2010/08/17/15056646.html#pf-
News Columnists / Tom Brodbeck
Longer amber safer
Let’s make politicians see the light
By TOM BRODBECK, Winnipeg Sun
Last Updated: August 17, 2010 10:50pm
It’s probably not an issue city councillors and candidates in the upcoming civic election were expecting to deal with.
But the idea of extending amber lights at red-light camera intersections to reduce collisions has gained so much momentum over the past week, candidates — including Mayor Sam Katz — will have little choice but to tell voters where they stand on the issue.
Several councillors have already been in contact with WiseUp Winnipeg, the pro-traffic safety group that has spearheaded the idea. And come September when the municipal election will be in full swing, the proposal to extend amber lights to reduce collisions and improve traffic safety will be one of the hot topics of debate.
Evidence from U.S. states like Georgia and Arizona have shown giving drivers additional warning to stop for red lights through longer amber times has reduced collisions by as much as 80%.
The change worked so well in some U.S. cities that it was no longer profitable for them to continue the red-light camera program. There were far fewer red-light infractions. But revenue from the red-light cameras also dwindled, forcing city officials to cancel the program.
There have also been a number of recent studies south of the border that have shown how improving traffic engineering techniques at intersections — including longer ambers — is more effective in reducing collisions than deploying red-light cameras.
According to a freedom of information request by the Winnipeg Sun last year, all controlled intersections in Winnipeg have amber times of four seconds.
It seems odd a longer intersection with an 80 km/h speed limit would have the same amber time as a shorter intersection with a 50 km/h limit.
A vehicle obviously requires more time to stop at a red light on Lagimodiere Boulevard at Grassie Boulevard than they do on Moray Street at Lodge Avenue.
Despite that, Winnipeg’s traffic engineers claim all amber lights are set at four seconds.
Obviously this needs to be reviewed, especially in light of the developments in some U.S. states.
It seems hard to imagine how adding even one second to amber lights could make such a difference and result in such a dramatic drop in collisions. I was skeptical myself when I first heard the idea.
But when you drill down into the evidence of how it has worked in other jurisdictions, it’s pretty tough for any reasonable-minded person not to at least ask city traffic engineers to look into the idea.
Unless our driving patterns in Winnipeg are so much different than those in Georgia and Arizona, there’s no reason we shouldn’t expect the same results.
Which means voters are going to be asking their municipal candidates in this election where they stand on reducing collisions through longer amber lights.
Given the safety implications, it’s simply not something any of our elected officials can dismiss out of hand. In fact, it would be grossly irresponsible for them to do so.
Phone and e-mail the mayor and your local city councillor and ask them what they plan to do about this.
We all want safer streets and fewer collisions. If this can help, the idea of longer amber lights should be top of mind in this fall’s municipal election.
For more, visit Brodbeck’s blog Raise a Little Hell at winnipegsun.com. Reach Tom by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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