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Smile, You'll soon be on candid camera: A panoramic view of the intersection of Amarillo Boulevard and Pierce Street, one of the intersections the city of Amarillo considered for installing red light cameras. (Photo by Ralph Duke)Red-Light District City designates 6 sites for traffic cameras By Greg Rohloff City commissioners on Tuesday designated six locations for installation of cameras to catch red-light runners. Commissioners repeatedly stressed during discussion that the main concern is safety, not pumping up city revenues. And while noting that some studies have shown that rear-end collisions increase at intersections after cameras are installed, additional research shows that those types of collisions decrease as drivers change their habits at those intersections. The intersection approaches for cameras are:
Under terms of the contract, the city will pay American Traffic Solutions Inc. $4,750 a month for each approach, totaling $28,500 for the six approaches each month for the 60-month term of the contract. The city can opt to add locations later if the cameras prove effective in reducing accidents. But if commissioners are unhappy with the results and want to remove the cameras before the end of the contract, the city would be subject to a buyout clause. ATS had recommended nine locations for installation of the cameras after test monitoring at high-traffic locations. But under an amended motion by Commissioner Brian Eades, who had first asked for five locations, commissioners unanimously settled on six, as recommended by city staff. Vicki Covey, Community Services Division director, said that after cameras are installed, warnings will be issued to red-light runners during May. In June, the Amarillo Police Department will send out citations to the owner of the vehicle. Each installation will involve two cameras, said City Traffic Engineer Taylor Withrow. The first will show when a vehicle enters the intersection and the second will photograph the rear license plate and the traffic signal. If an incident is not clear cut, police will disregard it, she said. Because state law prohibits cities from using cameras that would show who was driving a vehicle running a red light, the citation will be sent to the vehicle owner, said City Attorney Marcus Norris. The offense would be considered a civil nuisance, not be a criminal offense placing it in the same category as citing a property owner for allowing trash to accumulate on land even though other people had dumped the trash. The red-light citation will not count as a traffic ticket, Covey said. Offenders will have 30 days to pay the $75 fine, or pay a $25 late fee after that with the citation. Scofflaws would not be arrested, she said, but their bill would be turned over to a collection agency. In addressing concerns first raised by The Amarillo Independent, Covey said that data indicated rear-end collisions occur more frequently at intersections with cameras. But such collisions have fewer severe injuries and less damage to vehicles than the side-impact collisions that occur with red-light running, she added. Withrow said signs will be placed 200 feet from the intersections with a camera installation warning drivers that the cameras are in use. Responding to assertions the cameras are simply meant to pump up the city's general revenue funds, City Manager Alan Taylor said whatever money is left over each month after the city pays ATS would go into a traffic safety trust fund that would be spent only to enhance traffic safety in the city, such as improvements at intersections or new traffic lights. "The safety of our citizens is No. 1," said Mayor Debra McCartt. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: January 24, 2008
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