Thanks to www.stpetecameras.org for the link!

http://www.kcautv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13985838

Shorter Yellow Lights At Red Light Camera Intersections?

At intersections with red light cameras in town, it sometimes seems it changes from yellow to red faster than at other intersections. We took a stopwatch out to see if the lights were really shorter...

At the intersection of Gordon Dr. and Pierce St. it takes about 4 seconds to switch from yellow to red, and that is an intersection with a red light camera.  Just a couple of blocks down the street at Virginia and Gordon, the light takes about 5 seconds to switch from yellow to red.  So the intersection with a red light camera's almost a full second less.

 "That's something we'll have to check out, that's the first time that we've heard that they're different," said Sioux City's Engineer Scott Logan.

The yellow light intervals along Gordon Drive should be the same until the speed limit changes heading east.

And since the time at the intersection with the red light camera is about a second shorter...A viewer wondered if it was the police trying to write more tickets.

"We certified the times of the yellow lights before we put the cameras up.  The yellow light times haven't changed.  We have no input in to how long those yellow lights are," said Captain Mel Williams, Sioux City Police.

The City Engineer's office is responsible for setting the yellow light times, and the police work independently of the city issuing violations.

The police say if they wanted to give out more tickets, they would make the yellow lights longer, not shorter... 

"A lot of the tickets that are written are people trying to beat the traffic light, trying to get through it before it turns red, and people make that decision based upon how long they think they're going to be stopped at the light.  So if you lengthen the time, and they think they're going to be held up more, then more people try to run it," said Williams.

In Sioux City, yellow light intervals should be either 4, or 5 seconds, which is based on federal guidelines.

Streets should be uniform unless there is a speed limit change.

If you come across a traffic light that's off, the city would like to know.

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