08 October 2007
The GHCVB has a new leader
The Houston Business Journal reports:
Greg Ortale will return to Houston on Dec. 3 as president and chief executive of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Ortale served as general manager and executive vice president of the bureau from 1979 to 1987.
Ortale currently holds a similar position for Meet Minneapolis, formerly the Greater Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Bureau. He has led the organization since its inception in 1987.
What will Jordy Tollett do now?
RELATED: KUHF-88.7
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/08/07 06:51 PM |
07 October 2007
Three months in, breeder law largely unenforced
The Associated Press reports that compliance with City of Houston legislation aimed at breeders is nonexistent:
Three months after the city of Houston passed an ordinance requiring a permit to sell cats or dogs that have not been spayed or neutered, no one has applied for the $100 permit, city records show.
Dozens of people may be in violation of the city law, which became effective July 1 and covers mom-and-pop operations, as well as occasional and professional breeders.
The regulation is designed to reduce the number of unwanted animals, said Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care Director Kent Robertson.
The bureau sent letters to veterinary clinics informing them of the requirement, and will also be notifying kennel operators and pet owners who register unaltered pets with the city.
First-time offenders will get a warning letter asking them to comply within 30 days. Violations can carry a fine between $50 and $2,000.
Pat Snyder, who runs a rescue facility for Siberian huskies, believes only responsible breeders will comply with the law, but "backyard breeders" will remain under the radar.
"It's like a thorn in the butt to a responsible breeder," she said. "To the other people, it don't make a difference. Once in a while someone might get caught."
Next week, Houston's animal regulation bureau will search classified ads that offer to sell dogs and cats and contact sellers, Robertson said.
The city has 19 animal control officers, whose job includes enforcing the new law.
Robertson would like breeders who get permits to include their permit numbers in their classified ads.
I bet the Chronicle advertising department would like that too!
Anyway, it's good to know that officials will start trying to enforce the law now that the media have reported it's going unenforced. It does seem like Mayor White and his Council in recent years have passed quite a few of these ordinances that go largely unenforced, though.
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle (it's possible the AP story cribbed from this one -- hard to tell from the time stamps).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/07/07 06:03 PM |
Thieves steal tires, rims from Hobby Airport parking garage
Given my recent travels, this KPRC-2 story from September caught my eye:
Several air travelers have come home from their trips to find they cannot drive their cars, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.
Houston police said some cars parked on the top level of the garage at Hobby Airport were recently stripped of their tires and rims.
Darlene Smith's son called her early Sunday because he was left stranded.
"There was no tires, rims," Smith said. "All four were stolen."
The missing tires were not the only things wrong with her son's Dodge Charger.
"There was damage to the middle of the car on both sides where it had been jacked up," Smith's husband, Lionel, said.
"We're certainly sorry it occurred," said Mark Mancuso with Airport Security.
Mancuso said the airport does have security officers patrolling the garage, but there were no surveillance cameras.
"There's no guarantee," said Mancuso. "We do the best we can."
Apparently, there were no security officers on patrol either.
But hey, as public safety goes, "there's no guarantee" seems to describe quite a few parts of Houston!
In terms of airport parking, I've felt pretty comfortable using Speed Park and the Parking Spot (both on Will Clayton) at IAH. If anyone has recommendations for off-site parking at Hobby (given the security director's underwhelming response), please leave them in the comments.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/07/07 05:42 PM |
Density is great (except when it's in the neighborhoods of the powerful)
The opening of a 4 October Chronicle story by Mike Snyder and Nancy Sarnoff on the fight over a proposed high-rise in an affluent neighborhood provides some entertainment:
Two days after Mayor Bill White pledged support for residents fighting a planned high-rise building near Rice University, city officials withdrew their approval of the developers' traffic impact analysis of the project.
This reversal of the city's position, the mayor's personal involvement and the announcement that prominent attorney Rusty Hardin would represent the opponents have reinforced concerns that affluent, politically connected neighborhoods enjoy an advantage over others in Houston's frequent land-use battles.
[snip]
White and other city officials denied that the Southampton and Boulevard Oaks neighborhoods near the site at 1717 Bissonnet had received any special treatment.
Right!
Just like well-connected Yellow Cab and Jason Yoo received no special treatment in their sweetheart airport deals. *wink*
ANNE ADDS: Yesterday, the Chronicle's editorial board came out swinging for the wealthy and influential:
Influential opponents of the Ashby Tower have won considerable support at City Hall and are represented by prominent litigator Rusty Hardin. Their clout has led some Houstonians to charge favoritism and inequity.
Well, of course. Well-heeled, civically active voters wield more influence than low-income residents who might have less time or inclination to vote and take part in civic affairs. Human nature is not easily repealed, but that's not all bad in a democracy in which politicians are supposed to consider their constituents' concerns.
Wow! It's not often we see that kind of elitism on display!
The problem is that Mayor White apparently hasn't been so willing to consider other constituents' concerns, according to Councilman Jarvis Johnson:
But Councilman Jarvis Johnson, who represents District B in northeast Houston, said residents of the poor and working-class neighborhoods he represents had a difficult time getting a sympathetic ear at City Hall when they complained about single-family housing developments with no parks or other amenities.
"The city said there were standards that we set that (the developers) followed," he said. "How can this community (Southampton) push the envelope so much?"
Because they have money and clout, apparently. Which the Chron's editorial board says is a-okay.
BLOGVERSATION: Slampo's Place, Lose an Eye, It's a Sport (more).
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/07/07 05:07 PM |
Council candidates follow the lead of Harold "Arizona" Hurtt
The Chronicle runs an op-ed by Roy Reynolds that takes aim at two candidates for City Council for being residents of Houston in name only. Here is an excerpt:
It didn't take long past the filing deadline for November's election to discover that Jack Christie and Zafar Tahir, both running for the vacant at-large Position 5 council seat, had only tenuous connections to Houston citizenship. Both candidates rented property in the past year they now claim as their homes, though both own much nicer houses outside the city limits.
Neither candidate is breaking the law, even if their rented homes appear to be as empty as a campaign promise.
On the other hand, strict adherence to the letter — if not spirit — of the law is hardly a compelling reason to support a candidate.
Indeed, such transparent political avarice insults the intelligence of voters even as it also threatens to become a Houston tradition, with Piney Point Village resident M.J. Khan running unopposed for his third term as a council member this fall.
Tahir, with little experience in elected office past leading the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston, will likely have less impact on the November ballot than Christie, who threatens to take votes away from Tom Nixon. Nixon is a more conservative candidate who might at least object to the increasingly intrusive directives of city government. He also actually lives in Houston.
Therefore, it is Christie, of Bunker Hill Village, who has caught the worst flak for his subterfuge. At one point, he said he would drop out of the race after being cited for a stagnant swimming pool that attracted both mosquitoes and knowing glances from neighbors sure the house was unoccupied.
Like Reynolds, I have no use for either of these carpetbagger candidates for Houston city council, but your mileage may vary. Let us know what you think in the forum.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/07/07 04:30 PM |
Houston installs countdown signals to aid pedestrians
Houston is installing signals that tell pedestrians how long they have to safely cross the street. In addition to promoting safety, it will save the city money according to a Chron Wrap Up story, but here's another way to expand on the idea of traffic signals that count down -- use them as a way to curb red light running (via Scott Henson):
...installing lights that visibly countdown with a digital counter on greens and yellows...gives drivers literally split-second information about when the yellow turns to red.
You know, if it's about safety and not revenue.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/07/07 09:09 AM |
05 October 2007
Chief Hurtt responds to Badge & Gun article, editorial on CompStat
As we noted earlier this summer, HPOU's publication Badge & Gun ran an article by Alan Helfman, Jay Wall, and William A Wolff, who have been pushing for the adoption of CompStat, the statistical tool for fighting crime employed by William Bratton when he was police chief in New York. In that same issue, the Badge & Gun editorial page also endorsed the use of CompStat.
In the September 2007 issue (no link available), Chief Harold Hurtt responds to the Badge & Gun editorial board and Helfman, et al., as follows:
After reading the article by Alan Helfman and others which touts the COMPSTAT policing model as the answer to all of Houston’s crime issues, I would like to provide some balance to the issue. This model is only one of many management tools available to the law enforcement community that is used by some large metropolitan cities throughout the United States. At the Houston Police Department our focus is not to model an exact replica of another city’s style but to find the best practices and make them our own. After all, we must tailor our policing efforts to the needs of our community. This is why so much emphasis is put into crime prevention efforts. It is unrealistic to assume that any policing model is a panacea capable of solving all of Houston’s crime problems.
Notwithstanding a name or title: accurate and timely intelligence, rapid deployment, effective tactics and relentless follow-up and assessment are all things that the Houston Police Department does routinely. COMPSTAT requires commanders to react to changes in the crime rate on a weekly basis. The Houston Police Department is forward-looking, focusing on ways to prevent criminal activity rather than analyzing its aftereffects. We must continue to address crime proactively rather than reactively. I have given division commanders the discretion to direct policing efforts by utilizing crime analysis data, pin-pointing crime and targeting the hot spots of their particular communities. This strategy has been effective and as of July 2007, Part 1 violent crime is down by six percent citywide per 100,000 population.I am very proud of the men and women from all ranks and classifications of the Houston Police Department and their efforts to address the public safety needs of our city. Despite the recent retirement of a large number of officers and an unprecedented influx of new citizens, the members of our department have had a major impact on reducing crime and making Houston safer. Mayor White and the City Council have given us the resources and support to sustain our crime prevention strategies with funding for overtime initiatives. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our men and women in blue, Houston is a safer city.
The bolded excerpt suggests that Chief Hurtt is dismissing a proven crimefighting tool because he seems not to understand it.
CompStat is a comprehensive approach to collecting and organizing crime information in a timely manner so that patterns can be discerned and crime can be addressed proactively. It is not merely analysis of the "aftereffects" of crime, as Chief Hurtt asserts incorrectly. Rather, it is advanced statistical analysis of crime aimed at preventing future crime -- analysis that HPD currently cannot conduct because of antiquated record-keeping systems and limitations of its current technology. Since HPD cannot simply throw more bodies at the crime problem (thank to the manpower issues we have been documenting for several years now), the smart/technological approach is of even more potential benefit in Houston, since it allows existing resources to be used more effectively.
Chief Hurtt's assertion that he has "given division commanders the discretion to direct policing efforts by utilizing crime analysis data" misses the point. What Helfman and his colleagues -- along with the Badge & Gun editorial board -- have urged is leadership from the top in implementing an advanced statistical approach to crimefighting that has been proven to work in New York City (when crime was out of control there). The issue isn't about empowering local commanders -- although certainly advanced statistical collection and analysis would benefit HPD at all levels -- but about leadership from the very top of HPD and City Hall.
Unfortunately, the Arizonan who is HPD's leader doesn't even seem to understand the issue at hand or the tool he is dismissing.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/05/07 08:14 AM |
04 October 2007
Hotel ZaZa shines light on broken Mecom Fountain
We noted at the start of summer that a dark Mecom Fountain -- and the fact that the city could manage neither to prevent the vandalism that darkened it or to effect repairs of the Museum District landmark -- was not exactly world class.
As KTRK-13's Miya Shay notes on her blog, the Mecom Fountain is now lit again.
Thanks to the Hotel ZaZa and its floodlights.
It's mind-boggling that a city with Houston's tremendous resources (and record revenues) cannot manage to repair the lighting of a vandalized city landmark, but probably there are not enough well-connected political donors and/or municipal contractors pushing city officials to get it done.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/04/07 09:37 PM |
Mayor White says surveillance cameras will make you safer
KHOU-11's Jeff McShan reports that the installation of downtown surveillance cameras will be complete by the end of this week:
After a lot of red tape and a lot of talk about privacy, the day has finally arrived.
High above the streets and sidewalks downtown, HPD will be able to watch people coming and going 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
[snip]
“We want to make places where a lot of citizens travel will be safe. We want to have something that if there is an incident, it would be available to the investigators to help identify the suspect,” Mayor Bill White said.The cameras were being installed in five areas downtown, starting Wednesday and running through the end of the week, all along the Main Street corridor.
The area is home to nightclubs and restaurants, and is where the city parties for big events like all-star games and the Super Bowl.
And some people don’t seem to mind the prying eyes.
“It’s not going to bother me. I am just going to class,” Jennifer Baldwin said.
The wireless cameras were financed by Houston’s downtown management district, but they will be monitored by HPD’s Special Operations Division at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
HPD says the videos will not be available to the public, but as the mayor said, they’ll be used to keep the public safe and to solve crimes.
Actually, in London, which leads the way with thousands of surveillance cameras, a new study shows that cameras do little to keep citizens safe:
"Our figures show that there is no link between a high number of CCTV cameras and a better crime clear-up rate," she said. "Boroughs with thousands of CCTV cameras are no better at doing so than those which have a few dozen."
Proponents of CCTV's usefulness usually focus on its role in preventing crime, rather than solving it. But although the cameras across London's public transport system allowed police officers to identify within a few days those responsible for the July 7, 2005, tube-train bombings in the city, the cameras did nothing to prevent the attack.
And a detailed study of 14 public CCTV installations in a 2005 report by the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate, "Assessing the impact of CCTV," concluded that "the CCTV schemes that have been assessed had little overall effect on crime levels."
The study says only one in five crimes are solved, even though there are 10,000 surveillance cameras keeping an eye on London residents.
Is it comforting to know that a crime committed along Main Street can be watched by someone sitting inside the GRB?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/04/07 05:03 AM |
03 October 2007
Greek festival time
The Festival opens Thursday and continues through Sunday. It is consistently one of the better ethnic festivals put on in the city. The food is pretty good (even if not quite small-island-village taverna quality), and comes without the jet lag!
Parking is always difficult near the festival. If you're not familiar with Montrose, your best bet is to park at Lamar High School and take the free Metro shuttle (details here).
Opa!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/03/07 09:15 PM |
NBC's Today Show visits Houston
via the Houston Business Journal:
Weekend anchorman Lester Holt and a crew from the "Today Show" were in town Wednesday filming Houston for the show's "Cities They Love" segment.
Houston will be the first city to air in the segment, which will debut on Oct. 7, according to the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Cities They Love" features off-the-beaten-path attractions.
Holt interviewed Thomas Jones, chairman of the CVB, in a canoe on Buffalo Bayou, and visited the Beer Can House.
Prior to the shoot, Holt interviewed native Houstonian and country singer Clint Black, who suggested a visit to Goode Co. BBQ, Pappasito's, the ice rink at The Galleria and the Mucky Duck for great live music. The CVB said the "Today Show" crew also went to those destinations and others.
Very nice!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/03/07 06:47 PM |
02 October 2007
Where's Mike McGuff going this week? To see Klein Oak, I hope!
blogHOUSTON friend, and KTRK-13 producer, Mike McGuff has a neat little gig going where each week he visits a local high school football game and takes lots of pictures. After that, the pictures are posted on KTRK's website.
The fun part is visitors to Channel 13's website get to vote on which game Mike attends. Five games are chosen each week, and the one with the most votes wins! Er, wins his presence anyway; I'm sure he makes no guarantees of a game's outcome. =)
My oldest son is in the Klein Oak High School marching band, and Klein Oak's game this Friday vs. Spring High School is one of the games in the running for Mike's attendance.
I'd love to see Mike at the game on Friday, so please head over to KTRK's website and vote for Klein Oak vs. Spring.
Thanks much!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/02/07 06:57 PM |
KHOU: Police union forces Mayor White to deal with manpower shortage (updated)
KHOU-11's Shern-Min Chow reports that Mayor White is being forced to loosen the city's purse strings:
Houston Mayor Bill White plans to make a major announcement about putting more police officers on the street. That announcement is scheduled to come Tuesday morning.
11 News has confirmed the move will mean hundreds of extra officers patrolling city streets. But only after some threats from the police union.
Turns out the manpower shortage has been a longstanding sore spot with police officers. Sources told 11 News that three weeks ago the Houston Police officers union met with the mayor to complain.
Word is the union indicated it would publicly slam the mayor and police chief if additional resources were not forthcoming.
That prompted tomorrow’s announcement in which the city will fund the increased patrols with sales tax revenues, which have been higher than anticipated, and $200 million from city reserves.
The money provides for overtime pay and additional HPD academy classes to create the additional manpower.
It's about time. Mayor White's lack of focus on protecting Houstonians has been incomprehensible, although, if he could have found a revenue stream in it, he'd have had more interest.
KHOU's story also notes that a Continental Airlines task force will assist HPD with its recruiting process.
RELATED: Police chief pledges more patrols in Acres Homes (Chronicle)
UPDATE: On a KTRH-740 newsbreak, Bonnie Petrie (sp?) said that the infusion of funds for HPD is the result of an unexpected increase in tax revenues.
Unexpected???
Not to anyone who's been paying attention!
Houston sales tax revenues booming for the month, year; Houston is rolling in the dough; Houston's sales tax revenue up almost 20%; COH and Metro thank you for your support!; Houston has a surplus and Mayor White doesn't want to share it
And a few more from the Houston Business Journal:
Houston's sales tax allocation up 4.1 percent; May sales tax revenue increases 10 percent; Sales tax payments up for Houston counties
That last link points to September's state tax allocation:
Houston itself received $38.6 million, up 12.6 percent from $34.3 million.
Houston's revenues have not unexpectedly increased.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Matt Stiles adds this:
BTW: Responding to a question, Marticiuc also denied a report last night on KHOU-TV (Channel 11) that said the union had pressured and even threatened White to make this financial committment.
"That is not accurate. We've had some earnest discussions with the mayor for some time."
I think "earnest discussions" falls in line with KHOU's story. =)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/02/07 05:09 AM |
01 October 2007
Harris County changes EZ-tag perk for employees
You'll recall another Wayne Dolcefino exposé back in June which brought to light how many Harris County employees were benefiting from "non-revenue" EZ-tags:
In all, the list Eyewitness News got shows more than 5,500 free tags have been handed out
Today, KUHF-88.7 reports that the county is finalizing details of a new EZ-tag policy that will severely limit free use:
While the majority of commuters who use toll roads in Harris County pay about $40 a month for their EZ-Tags, about 500 employees of the Toll Road Authority have what are known as non-revenue EZ Tags that allow them to use the roads for free. Soon, that benefit could be gone if commissioners approve a new policy that would take those EZ-Tags away. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says there are about 5000 non-revenue EZ-Tags in use, a list that has grown over the years.
[snip]
Commissioners last week postponed a vote on the new policy in order to iron out last minute details on exactly who gets to keep their free EZ-Tags and how they'll be used in the future. State law allows the non-revenue EZ-Tags on marked county vehicles, law enforcement and fire vehicles and for use in military convoys.
"I want to be sure that we take these tags away, that there aren't free EZ-Tags for people who don't deserve them, but that we have a way to monitor and enforce. It doesn't do us any good to have a policy if we can't enforce it."
[snip]
Harris County Department of Public Infrastructure Executive Director Art Storey says the change in policy is not about revenue.
"It's not a cost matter. It's a matter of government going out of its way to avoid any appearance of impropriety no matter how well-justified. If it looks like a special privilege for a government employee its best not to do it in these days of public scrutiny and public suspicion of government."
That is the correct attitude to have, an attitude Metro officials and employees should adopt. Kudos to Wayne Dolcefino for digging into the issue, and to Harris County commissioners and officials for doing the right thing to rectify the problem.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/01/07 07:54 PM |
The expectation of transparency
On his blog, KTRK-13's Wayne Dolcefino explains why he undertook last week's two-part exposé of Metro. Here's a portion of his post:
Thursday night Harris County Judge Ed Emmett called on the METRO board to publicly debate the free bus and rail rides provided to METRO employees and their families. Even a member of METRO’s Board was on TV saying he was surprised to learn that spouses of employees enjoyed this benefit. Under this benefit, a METRO employee or members of their family can save potentially thousands of dollars in transportation costs.
As you can see, my stories on this subject have triggered quite a debate among our viewers. Many of you who have written on this blog page are Metro employees, who, not surprisingly did not like this 13 Undercover story. I have heard from some of you that this kind of perk is standard, and that all companies provide perks of a similar nature to their employees. That is not true. Many local government employees do not receive this type of benefit. In fact, while many companies in the private sector may offer discounts to their employees, there are companies who do not provide this. In fact, there are companies that provide no pension, no 401K, and no health, disability or life insurance policies for their employees.
A private company’s financial decisions are subject to review, sometimes by labor unions, sometimes by shareholders, and sometimes by no one.
In government, the shareholders are the voters. While Frank Wilson is the CEO of METRO, there is a Board of Directors appointed by elected officials, who in turn are accountable to the voters. The voters are the bosses here, and have the ultimate say on what benefits are given to public employees at the ballot box. That is why stories like this are more than fair game. In the end, whether METRO employees like it or not, the public has a fundamental right to know and then voice their view on salaries, benefits or anything else provided to their employees.
Contrary to Metro CEO Frank Wilson's statement that Metro operates in a completely transparent manner, Metro fights tooth and nail not to give out any information, as Tom Bazan knows all too well. Metro stalls, delays, asks for Texas AG opinions, sends out wrong or incomplete data, etc. Metro's latest trick is to give Bazan information he's been seeking for weeks/months one hour prior to board meetings.
If Metro employees can't handle the public aspect of being employed by a government agency, they should seek employment in the private sector. Taxpayers deserve to know what Metro's up to.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/01/07 07:04 PM |
30 September 2007
Mother wins lawsuit; article forgets to mention the gun
Back in 2002, Michael Wayne Goodman was approached by a Pct. 4 Deputy Constable. Goodman assaulted the deputy and fled. The deputy sent his dog after him. Goodman got a hold of the dog and attempted to drown it. The deputy caught up, and pulled Goodman off of him and the two fought. Goodman reached for something behind his back and the deputy shot and killed him fearing it was a weapon. At the scene, the sheriff's detectives never found the weapon. That's because Goodman had either thrown or tossed it in a nearby ditch (filled with water) when he was shot. A day or two later, a relative of Goodman (who, if memory serves, was a Texas Ranger) came to the scene and found Goodman's pistol in the ditch after the water had level dropped.
Goodman's mother sued Harris County, and won.
I wasn't in the court room so I missed all the arguments, but that's not what I'm writing this post for. What struck me about this article is that it failed to mention the fact that Goodman did indeed have a weapon. The pistol recovered later was traced back to him. Even Goodman's own relatives told investigators that he was known to carry a pistol. County Attorney Mike Stafford said he will "aggressively appeal." It will be interesting to see how this turns out.
While looking up other articles in this case, I found this site, which is a table of officer-involved shootings the Chronicle put together. Scroll down to 04/14/2002. It says whether or not Goodman had a gun is "in dispute." Yet, the summary says his gun was found later. That same summary says that the deputy sent his dog to attack Goodman, failing to mention that Goodman assaulted him first. Funny, the Chronicle sometimes contradicts itself in the same breath.
Posted by Jason @ 09/30/07 10:18 AM |
The problem with zoning...
...is that self-designated elite sophisticates would be in charge of determining what's okay and what's not.
I thought a 23-story mixed-use project was exactly the kind of development new urbanists long for. I guess it's not so good when it's in your own neighborhood:
The Bissonnet high-rise, Brown said, is a glaring example of out-of-scale development.
The project "would literally dwarf the surrounding homes in Southampton," said Brown, who lives in the neighborhood. "The city simply lacks the basic development standards to protect our neighborhoods and property values."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/30/07 09:29 AM |
This IS unfortunate
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/30/07 09:18 AM |
James Campbell is leaving the Chronicle
In his column today, the Chronicle's reader representative informs that he's moving on:
Next week will be my last at the Chronicle and as Readers' Representative (so, fire away or forever hold your abuse). I always wondered what this day would be like. In a week or so, I'll be stepping outside of the comfort zone I've known for more than 25 years as a journalist to begin a new career. It has not been easy grasping that.
Best wishes, James. You'll be missed.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/30/07 05:40 AM |
29 September 2007
Aha! This is why Houston rushed installation of 20 more red light cameras
Remember when the city hurriedly installed 20 more red light cameras, even though the 50 that Council approved had already been installed? Suspicion was that this was to beat a new state law that imposed some limitations on the revenue-generating devices. Now we know how true that suspicion was. From TheNewspaper.com:
A little-noticed provision of Texas law took effect at the beginning of the month to force cities using red light cameras to appoint citizen oversight panels. The provision caused disruption in the city of Lubbock's red light camera plans yesterday.
According to Texas Transportation Code Section 707.003: "A local authority shall report results of the traffic engineering study required by Subsection (c) to a citizen advisory committee consisting of one person appointed by each member of the governing body of the local authority. The committee shall advise the local authority on the installation and operation of a photographic traffic signal enforcement system established under this chapter."
No camera installed after September 1 may issue a citation without this citizen's panel first reviewing a detailed engineering assessment that presents alternatives to photo ticketing. The Texas Transportation Institute, for example, found in 2005 that merely adding one second of yellow warning time at traffic signals beyond the minimum amount yielded a forty percent accident reduction (view report).
The wording of the law ensures that city council members who oppose the use of red light cameras have the right to appoint representatives to the oversight panel.
MayorWhiteChiefHurttMarthaMontalvo had to be concerned about their chances to add more cameras with this obstacle. You'll notice that Houstonians weren't allowed to vote on the red light camera program; it's not hard to guess it'd probably be voted down.
Let's recall what Asst. Chief Montalvo said when those 20 cameras were added at the last minute:
Montalvo said the decision to add the new cameras had nothing to do with a new state law, which takes effect Saturday, that could require some cities to do engineering studies at new locations.
Boy, that's ringing even more hollow now!
And then there's Matt Stiles' latest reporting on city-owned vehicles running red lights, including Houston police officers:
Houston police commanders say the city's red-light camera enforcement program should increase safety at intersections by prompting "behavior modifications" in motorists.
Not all of their own employees are getting the message, however.
More than 100 Houston police vehicles moving through intersections without emergency lights were cited in the first year of the cameras' operation, according to ticket data.
"We're just like regular citizens. We're only human," said Martha Montalvo, an executive assistant chief with the Houston Police Department who oversees the program.
"We're hoping for some behavior modifications from all angles, not only from our citizens but also from our city employees."
Back when it was just the general citizenry she thought needed behavior modification, Montalvo wasn't so forgiving.
She's got a bit more empathy going now: We're only human.
Maybe some longer yellow light times would help, Martha.
RELATED: Red-light cameras to city: You owe $16,425 (City Hall blog); HPD, METRO lead in red-light camera citations (City Hall blog)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 09/29/07 04:06 PM |
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