Red Light Camera News San Bernardino, CA tired of RLC Lies, plans to DUMP RLC!
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/sanbernardinocounty/ci_17255533
San Bernardino intersections
Camera days numbered
City wants traffic devices removed
Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/31/2011 09:41:20 PM PST
SAN BERNARDINO - Ulysses Herrera often drives past the red-light cameras at Kendall Drive and University Parkway.
The kinesiology student at Cal State University San Bernardino said the cameras at that intersection and others around the city are well-known by folks on campus.
"There's a lot of people around school that say they don't even work," Herrera said. "But I don't take the risk."
Pretty soon, Herrera and the rest of the city's commuters may no longer face the risk of getting caught on camera while running afoul of traffic laws.
"I think it would be great," Herrera said.
So do some on the City Council, who say red-light camera enforcement systems, which are activated at seven city intersections,
The council last week took a step forward in taking the cameras down when it voted 5-2 in favor of looking at ways to get rid of them as soon as possible, or at least wind down the city's contracts with American Traffic Systems, which provides the service to the city.
"I didn't support them when they brought them in," 3rd Ward Councilman Tobin Brinker said. "Basically, I felt the data they provided when they put them in was not balanced or accurate."
Brinker said the cameras, rather than reducing accidents, seemingly create different types of accidents in the intersections where they are located.
Statistics may support his theory.
The Federal Highway Administration in 2005 released a national study of accident rates at intersections equipped with red-light cameras.
The report found a 15 percent spike in rear-end accidents and 24 percent more injuries, most likely caused by motorists slamming on brakes.
At the same time, the study found that broadside crashes in intersections were down by almost a quarter where red-light cameras were installed.
In addition to the camera's effects on safety, Brinker also was concerned about their effect on businesses near the camera locations.
He said the cameras can drive customers away from shops and restaurants, and deter visitors from coming to certain parts of the city.
"I believe having one at Hospitality Lane and Waterman Avenue has been a factor (in) reducing business over there. ... I think you're killing our businesses."
The city set up four of the cameras in 2005 under a contract with Nestor Traffic Systems of Providence, R.I.
The project expanded to 11 locations in 2008, with seven of them activated.
In 2009, American Traffic Systems purchased Nestor, and took over the services outlined in its agreement with the city.
The system photographs vehicles running red lights, and tickets are then mailed to the cars' registered owners, along with pictures of the license plates, drivers and the red lights.
Tickets are $400, according to city spokeswoman Heather Gray.
Legally, the process has to be reviewed by a law enforcement officer.
The city has paid Nestor and American Traffic Systems a total of roughly $2.4 million for the cameras since 2005.
The Sun obtained the numbers through a public information request. City staffers did not provide the total cost of the system by press time.
Total revenue from the red-light camera system since 2005 is roughly $4.1 million, according to information provided by the city.
San Bernardino
certainly wouldn't be the first to end the red-light camera experiment. Loma Linda officials two months ago deactivated the cameras there after five years.
One official estimated that city netted about $200,000 over five years, while most of the ticket fines, in most cases about $465 each, went to other agencies or to Redflex, the Australia-based company that operated the cameras.
The red-light camera concept has caused debates about public safety debates and outcry from some that "Big Brother" has gained an increasing amount of power over citizens.
Not only that, but the systems have faltered at times.
In 2008, San Bernardino dismissed red-light violation tickets issued to drivers based on photo evidence at Ninth Street and Mount Vernon Avenue.
The tickets were thrown out after it was discovered that the yellow-light interval at the intersection was too short.
There also are questions about whether or not the cameras have been placed in areas with the highest accident rate.
The council initially was supposed to consider a contract with American Traffic Systems to upgrade the red-light cameras when it met last week.
It then considered scrapping the system altogether before a motion was made to have City Manager Charles McNeely come back with recommendations on how to exit the program as soon as possible.Brinker said he wants to be careful that the city doesn't violate its contract with the red-light camera company.
"The wiggle room we gave staff was, let's make sure we're following the contract, and if we can get out of the contract tomorrow, let's get out of it," Brinker said.
Most of the city's contracts with American Traffic Systems expire this year.
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