 |
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Red-light cameras rev into action
$101 citations for cars caught on tape breaking law
No more warnings. The city will begin handing out tickets this week to those caught on camera running red lights.
If you ran a red light before 12:01 a.m. Monday at any of four Seattle intersections with new traffic cameras, consider yourself lucky -- you likely got off with a warning.
But that has come to an end. As of Monday, the city ceased issuing warnings for people caught on camera running red lights and began issuing $101 citations.
So far, between 1,800 and 2,000 motorists have been caught busting red lights at the sites of these cameras, city analyst Mike Quinn said.
"We knew we had problems at these intersections," he said.
At a cost of $460,000 for the pilot program, 1,800 tickets per month would soon pay for the project. But Quinn said the numbers are likely to decline as drivers become more aware that cameras are watching.
"We're confident that, as in other cities, we'll begin at a high level and it will drop off," he said.
That reduction, Quinn said, could be by as much as half of what police have seen in the first month of the pilot program.
But city officials have said, making money isn't the goal of the program. "It's designed 100 percent as a traffic safety initiative," Quinn said.
The pilot program began last month with the installation of cameras that capture both still images and video at four intersections selected because of their high level of accidents. In particular, city transportation officials were concerned about T-bone accidents.
The cameras also have captured drivers who make a turn on a red light without stopping first, a violation that has proved hazardous to pedestrians crossing the street.
From 2002 to 2004, more than 25 percent of the roughly 800 pedestrian traffic accidents involved a driver turning right and striking someone trying to cross, Quinn said.
"It can be quite dangerous for pedestrians," he said.
City officials have been pleased with how the cameras have worked so far. The equipment was provided by Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions. The city will pay the company $320,000 for the yearlong pilot. An additional $140,000 is required to cover the costs of installing signs, and work by police and Seattle Transportation Department employees.
For privacy concerns, state law mandates the cameras photograph only the vehicle and the license plate. No images of the driver or passengers will be caught on film.
The law also treats violations caught by the cameras as parking violations, and they are not reflected on a driver's record.
City officials expect to review the statistics at least monthly to see how effective the program is. They also will be looking for any other changes in traffic patterns, for example, whether rear-end accidents increase at any of the intersections with the new cameras.
The installations are not quite complete. Still waiting for a traffic camera is the intersection of Spring Street and Fifth Avenue. Permits are in place, though installation is a few weeks away.
CAMERA LOCATIONS
The new cameras catching red-light runners are focusing initially on four intersections:
Have you gotten a citation from the red-light cameras, or how do you feel about the new system?
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
 Day in Pictures A spotted eagle and more |
 David Horsey A reminder from 2004 ... |
 Photo gallery Screening of Sex Drive |
· Getting There: What happened to the traffic sensors on I-90?
· Critics fear traffic backup with I-985
moreLast update: 10/14/2008 2:16:00 AM
THE TRAFFIC SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT CENTER IS CLOSED FOR THE EVENING.
WE WILL REOPEN AT 5:30 AM TOMORROW.
HAVE A SAFE AND PLEASANT COMMUTE.
Courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation
Seattle Traffic Watch The latest transportation issues, traffic jams, construction schedules and transit changes
· Weigh in on possible bus changes
· Overnight shutdowns Thursday on 520 Bridge
· New ride record claimed for water taxi
Reader blog: Bus ChickBeing carless in Seattle
· Pardon me ... nevermind
· More good news on Third Avenue
· Upcoming events for transit types
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
