It's not about revenue, it's not about revenue, it's not about revenue...
In Orange County, CA, a grand jury has been studying the use of red light cameras within the county. What is especially noteworthy are the reasons why some cities have chosen NOT to install the cameras:
Grand jurors interviewed traffic engineers, as well as police, in Anaheim, Irvine, Newport Beach, Westminster, and Orange–all cities that do not use RLCs. They were asked why they do not. In general, representatives of these cities said they do not need RLCs because they do not have a red light violation problem that warrants use of the devices, or because they are using other ways to deal with the problem. Some of those methods are:
* Coordinating traffic signals, thereby reducing driver frustration
* Using four-way red signals so that everyone has to stop for a few seconds
* Creating better signage for complicated intersections
* Using greater police presence at problem intersections
* Replacing incandescent bulbs in traffic signals with larger, brighter light emitting diodes (LEDs) that cost less, operate more efficiently, and can be powered by battery for up to four hours in the event of a power failure.
* Creating double left-turn lanes where practical
* Installing LED systems, commonly known as "rat boxes," that can signal a traffic officer when someone has run a red light. This enables an officer to be positioned so he will not have to chase the offending motorist through a busy intersection, creating a potential danger for him and other motorists than the red-light-runner has already created.
But none of those methods will generate any revenue for the city of Houston.
In Maryland, a judge investigated red light cameras after hearing numerous complaints from motorists in Baltimore. His full report is well worth reading, but it's interesting to note that yellow light times figure prominently in the report, including these observations:
There are reports that yellow light time variations occur on the same light. A rough analysis of several citations issued in Baltimore City documented this phenomenon. A light at the intersection of Falls Road and Northern Parkway has a City listed standard of 3.5 seconds. In four citations, the length of the yellow light on the citation was recorded at 3.2, 2.9, 3.2 and 3.0 seconds. When asked about this at a meeting, both DOT and ACS stated that the problem had been noted and was "being looked into." In response to the Court's written inquiry, the DOT described inconsistent yellow light times as being caused by "fluctuations in the voltage supply that cause minor variances in the timing circuits within the devices."[14] However, the DOT's voltage explanation accounts for only a 0.1 second variance and not the 0.3 variance described in the Falls Road and Northern Parkway intersection example described above.[15]
There is also a failure of the yellow light timings to adhere to the city's own set standards. The DOT sent the court a list of its yellow light settings at the intersections where there are RLCES. See Attachment 1. A rough analysis of approximately 181 citations yielded the following statistic. Approximately 39% of the citations had inconsistent yellow lights or a yellow light setting inconsistent with the city standard. Most alarming are instances when the inconsistent yellow light times have been less than the 3 second federal minimum. Nearly 10% of the 181 citations surveyed had a yellow light prior to the red light of 2.9 seconds. This is inconsistent with Federal standards and presents a grave danger to Baltimore City drivers.
MayorWhiteChiefHurtt have made it abundantly clear that adjusting yellow light times will not be considered in Houston, even though at least two city councilmembers asked that yellow light times be studied at problem intersections, and even though almost every study and investigation shows that lengthening yellow light times can make a big difference in reducing the number of red light runners.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/08/05 10:50 AM | Print |
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