Red light cameras in Arnold, Missouri just took a hit that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year at one light alone. Fox 2 first reported Wednesday about a new MoDOT program to re-time of its Missouri lights.

MoDO is re-timing traffic lights everywhere, to give drivers more time to stop. The results so far, are incredible at the intersection of 141 and Astra Way. We compared a month of red light running before the new signal timing to a month after the change in the yellow light.

Last May, the City of Arnold cited 709 people for running a red light on camera at the 141 light. This May? Arnold cited only 17 drivers at the same light.

Now, consider the money side of this. Last May's citations add up to $67,000 in one month. This past May, citations, if paid, would only bring in $1,600.

That's a potential loss of more than 3/4 of a million dollars every year.

That loss is split between three parties who divide the money from each $95 violation ticket. More than half of that pie (57%) would go to the city, 10% percent to the State of Missouri and 1/3rd (33%) to the private red light camera contractor American Traffic Solutions (ATS).

Arnold Mayor Ron Counts said their share of the money goes into the general fund, which pays for things like streets. But he says this newly discovered potential loss -- is a price worth paying.

Mayor Counts said, "The truth is, it's not about money, it can't be. We've got to deal with the safety issue and to me when you can drop this down to 20 people running stop lights, I think that's what we really need to be looking at. We'll adjust the budget. We have to." He added, "It's going to affect your budget no matter how you look at it

He said Arnold's been discussing putting red light revenue strictly into safety measures anyway. He can't think of anything better than stopping red light runners.

Counts said, "What's a persons life worth? I don't think you can consider that."

The private red light camera contractor, ATS, said in an e-mail statement, "We're pleased the number of violations in Arnold continues to fall. An effective road safety program must always integrate engineering, education and enforcement." However ATS also warns ".. studies have shown that if the amber light is too long, drivers will disregard it and consider it part of the green light cycle."

MoDOT adds -- the drastic drop in red light runners may not last. Engineers warn that driver's could start pushing the new timing cycles. They also say that longer yellows slow down traffic.

Los Angeles - LOS ANGELES - As the Los Angeles City Council prepares to vote this week on the future of the city's critical traffic safety camera program, the Traffic Safety Coalition is outlining 10 reasons why the program should stay:

1. ZERO Crash Fatalities: Following safety camera installation, the Los Angeles Police Department crash reports, between 2002 and 2009 since the Photo Red Light Camera program began, NO fatal crashes have occurred at any of the camera enforced intersection approaches.
2. Safety cameras have worked to make Los Angeles streets safer. There has been a 62 percent decrease in red light related traffic collisions at the 32 intersections where the cameras are installed, with no significant increase in rear end collisions.
3. Safety cameras change driving behavior citywide. In Los Angeles there was a 22% reduction in crashes citywide after deployment.
4. Deadly consequences of dangerous driving in California. 3,000 people are killed in the California roadways every year (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
5. Red light running kills. 66 percent of all people killed at intersection crashes are victims of red light runners. The victims are innocent drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2011).
6. Red light running increased in Houston when cameras went dark. After intersection safety cameras were turned off in Houston, police cited injury crashes were up 350 percent after deactivation and one Houston intersection saw a 1,300% increase in crashes following camera deactivation. (“Exclusive: Accidents way up with red light cameras off.” KTRK ABC 13 Houston, 8-June-2011)
7. Speeding and red light running increased in Albuquerque when cameras were removed. Red light running and speeding increased by 584 percent after intersection safety cameras were turned off at three Albuquerque intersections just five months ago (“Scary stats with red light cameras off,” KRQE News 7, 5/27/11).
8. Speeding increased in Scottsdale when cameras were turned off. When speed safety cameras were turned off on Scottsdale's State Loop 101, the number of drivers speeding increased 1,024 percent (Washington et al., "Evaluation of the City of Scottsdale Loop 101 Photo Enforcement Demonstration Program, Arizona State University." Nov 2007).
9. Safety cameras reduce fatal crashes nationwide. A 2011 report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded traffic safety cameras at the 14 largest U.S. cities using them reduced fatal red light running crashes by 24 percent (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2011).
10. Simply put, safety cameras reduce red light running and speeding, change driver behavior and save lives.

"It's a sad reality that when drivers are not held accountable for their actions, speeding and red light running increases dramatically as they ignore our traffic safety laws, putting everyone in danger," said Traffic Safety Coalition co-chairs Paul and Sue Oberhauser. “Cities should be taking advantage of red light cameras and every other technology available to ensure these laws are followed and enforced.”

About the Traffic Safety Coalition:
The Traffic Safety Coalition is a not-for-profit, grassroots organization comprised of concerned citizens, traffic safety experts, law enforcement, public officials, victim's advocates, health care professionals, and industry leaders who are committed to working together to make our roads safer for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. We work with our partners throughout the country to promote technology and education that save lives and keep our roads safe. For more information, visit www.trafficsafetycoalition.com.

In the first month, Haine City, Florida has ticketed 7,066 drivers for making illegal right hand turns or running red lights. At $158 the fines total approximately $1.1 million. In the month the red light camera photo enforcement system has been operating, the cameras have taken 20,756 photographs, and of those only 50% have captured violations.

Based on $158, $83 goes to the state while the city receives $75. The city leases the 10 cameras from Arizona-based Automated Traffic Solutions.  Florida's estimated that the red light camera's would bring in $29M in 2011 and nearly $100M in 2012 into state coffers, and would provide about $75M to local governments. Haines City projects the city could receive $5.4 million annually from the citation revenue at the current run rate.

Red light cameras net $1.1-million so far: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Red light cameras at four Pembroke Pines, Florida intersections have led to more than 1,500 tickets issued to drivers in the past six months which has generated $76,294 in revenue but the city's legal fees for enforcing the citations in Broward court have led the controversial program to lose cost more money than it generates.  This has forced city commissioners to defend the program as a lifesaver and not a revenue generator that cost the city $13,000.  The total cost of the program since July has been $83,347 with $50,158 going to American Traffic Solutions (ATS), the Arizona-based company contracted to install the cameras in Pembroke Pines; and the remainder going for legal fees.  Read more

We would appreciate your thoughts and comments below of other cities that are losing revenue on the cameras. What action is taken by the camera operators ATS and Redflex in cases like this?  Do these companies lower their fees to accommodate to the citations as a cost neutral or revenue generating entity?   Are they secreting paying off city officials or entertaining them?  These are the cities where you are likely to find the most corruption.  

Red Light Cameras Reek of Corruption

Photo enforcement has never survived a public vote. Voters again rejected the use of photo enforcement in five more municipal referendum elections in November of 2011.  So what is motivating city officials to go against the will of the people they represent?  Money under the table and corruption?  You might have to start asking yourself some common sense questions why there are so many red light cameras in the US when the citizens overwhelmingly object to them. We estimate there are over 1,200 municipalities who have installed almost 7,000 red light cameras in the last 15 years.

In Mukilteo, Washington 70% of the voters banned the cameras and in Anaheim, California 73% voted against them. Earlier in 2010, 61% of Sykesville, Maryland voters overturned a speed camera ordinance. In 2009, 86% of Sulphur, Louisiana rejected speed cameras. The November 2009 elections included three votes: 72% said no in Chillicothe, Ohio; Heath, Ohio and College Station, Texas also rejected cameras. In 2008, residents in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected red light cameras. 66% of Steubenville, Ohio voters rejected photo radar in 2006. In the 1990's, speed cameras lost by 66% of the vote in Peoria, Arizona and Batavia, Illinois. In 1997, voters in Anchorage, Alaska banned cameras even after the local authorities had removed them. In 2003, 64% of voters in Arlington, Texas voted down "traffic management cameras" that opponents at the time said could be converted into ticketing cameras.

This smells like corruption at its finest. Red light camera companies like ATS and RedFlex have poured millions of dollars into campaign slush funds supporting politicians who back them. Sounds pretty dirty to me when the business of taxing citizens is almost a $1B revenue per year business.

We would like to ask for your help and leak tips to us on which city officials might be guilty of taking money under the table to get cameras passed.  We will post your tips and let Federal Officials begin to look into the corruption.  There is only one way to curb this corruption and that is to make the information public.

Shares in Redflex Holdings (ASX:RDF) have jumped 6.4% since the company revealed it may receive a takeover bid higher than the $2.50 per share informally offered by a Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG) unit.  It was reported back in June that it was looking to take over Redflex for $275M and that is when the ASX: RDF shares were trading around $2 per share.  If our calculations are correct the takeover bid should be just under $340M now.

From an opening price of $2.36, RDF shares closed the day's trading 8.5% higher at $2.55. Redflex's range of point-to-point cameras on the Hume Highway was taken offline this week after it was revealed they had incorrectly reported traffic infringements on nine occasions. The problem occurred as a result of cameras briefly falling out of synch with each other, and while Redflex has devised a solution the devices will need to be thoroughly tested until police are willing to turn them back on.

The red light photo enforcement technology company said in a statement that it had received indicative offers from “a number of credible parties” for over $2.50 per share. Redflex has entered discussions with a short list of these parties, including due diligence proceedings.   But the offers made are so far non-binding, and there can be no assurance that any of the talks will result in a formal proposal, the statement read. Even the Macquarie Group unit's offer, made in August, was non-binding. Redflex had advised shareholders to take no action on the proposal.

Macquarie Group is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services. Macquarie’s main business focus is making returns by providing a diversified range of services to clients. Macquarie acts on behalf of institutional, corporate and retail clients and counterparties around the world. Founded in 1969, Macquarie employs more than 14,600 people in approximately 70 office locations in 28 countries

Related Stories:
Redflex Takeover Bid for $275M

Bruce Simon from Palo Alto has filed a class-action lawsuit against the two largest companies who run red light cameras in San Mateo county Redflex and American Traffic Solutions. Simon says they're violating state law by including a so-called "cost neutral" provision in the contracts.  Simon says the camera makers reimburse cities when they can't make enough from tickets to pay for the monthly operational costs. It can't be a money loser for the cities and the companies will make up the difference.  Red light camera operators typically pick intersections which are going to be susceptible to the most tickets, says Simon.  We're going after the private companies that induce these municipalities to get into these contracts as revenue enhancing vehicles, Simon said.  If it's supposed to be about safety and preventing accidents, the revenue aspect shouldn't be as important.

There have been court challenges to the cost neutral clause and as a result several Peninsula cities have stopped using the red light cameras, others are in the process of dropping it, among them is Redwood City.  Another trend seems to be the growing use of right turn cameras or those intersection that monitor if you make a "California Stop".  A California stop is also referred to as a rolling right turn. 

Related articles:
Red light cameras in Redwood City have not resulted in a significant drop in accidents
Redwood City to review use of red light cameras

Class Action Law Suits in Louisiana

Orleans Parish District Court Judge Kern Reese on Friday granted the city of New Orleans' motion to continue a class certification hearing in a red light camera case until Sept. 24.

The city filed the motion to continue through assistant city attorney Detrich Hebert.

The motion cites Louisiana State Civil Procedure Article 592 (3)(a) and states that the "hearing on a class certification is improper because the city has not made an appearance before the court in the present matter." It also states that "the city has not had adequate time to conduct discovery because there are numerous other traffic camera violation cases that are consuming counsel's time."

Metairie lawyer Joseph McMahon III filed the class action claiming the cameras that catch motorists breaking the law are illegal. Reese threw out a red light camera ticket issued against McMahon in 2008.

McMahon has filed similar lawsuits in Jefferson Parish and in Lafayette, La.

Red light camera revenue has been used for various public works projects in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. The Times-Picayune reported that New Orleans has used most of the nearly $10 million generated from red light cameras towards the rebuilding of roads throughout the city while Jefferson Parish has held nearly $15 million in escrow until all appeals are exhausted.

McMahon's other cases against red light cameras in Louisiana are still ongoing.

But in May 2009, U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance threw out a similar case, stating that McMahon and his lawyer, Anthony Maska, failed to show that Jefferson Parish's system is unconstitutional. Maska and McMahon have taken their case back to state court.

In Lafayette, a state judge threw out the bulk of McMahon's lawsuit against the city's traffic cameras that sought to prove the program is unlawful for turning traffic tickets into civil violations.

McMahon and Maska are now attempting the same argument they've made in New Orleans, alleging that in the Lafayette system, someone must see the traffic violation in order to validate the image of the purported crime provided by the red light camera.

New Orleans adopted the red light camera system in April 2008 after a private firm, American Traffic Solutions Inc., won an open-bidding contract to install and run the cameras and issue citations and fines to motorists.  Read.

Redflex Holdings Ltd (ASX:RDF) shares have bounced from a near 12 month low of $1.50 and are currently trading over $2.00. Redflex shares were dumped by investors after the company announced, in December, that its results would be impeded, among other things, by the high costs of defending litigation in the US. Shares dropped by over 30% over the next few months.

The company operates re-light and speed photo enforcement systems, primarily in the United States. However the company announced at the end of May that it had won a legal challenge that had been raised by competitor American Traffic Solutions. Karen Finley, CEO of Redflex further commented that the ATS lawsuit was “a baseless attempt to misuse the court system to win in a courtroom what it could not win in fair competition”.

Macquarie Group (Macquarie) is a global provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services. Macquarie’s main business focus is making returns by providing a diversified range of services to clients. Macquarie acts on behalf of institutional, corporate and retail clients and counterparties around the world. Founded in 1969, Macquarie employs more than 14,600 people in approximately 70 office locations in 28 countries

Macquarie Group and subsidiaries Macquarie Special Situations Master Fund and Macquarie Radar Holdings Ltd. said they had a 10.7% stake in Redflex. Macquarie Special Situations Master Fund was established in February 2008 as part of the group's new fund pipeline. Macquarie has been acquisitive throughout the downturn and management has said recently they remain on the look out for companies to buy. The group raised capital while the markets were weak and has, since then, been deploying it through the last 12 months by picking up assets in overseas markets.

When it reported year-end results in April, Macquarie said it had A$4 billion of capital in excess of the group's minimum regulatory requirement. In total, management said the bank will have around A$30 billion of cash on its books after a trust is converted to cash on the balance sheet.

Unfortunately, we are not the company or city that collects the ridiculous amount tickets revenue nor do we operate the camera locations.  However, before you pay your fine that ranges from $50-$500, we recommend reading one of our many blog posts about "Fighting Red Light Camera Tickets" to see if you qualify to fight the ticket. 

For some visitors who don't take the time to read "About Us", we often receive strange email questions since we own the domain Photo Enforced and visitors often mistake us for being "Big Brother".  Typically questions include:  Can look up and see if I received a ticket?  Or how do I pay for my ticket?   My answer is always you need to contact your local court house in the city where the violation may have occurred or go to one of the locations listed at the bottom. 

Which leads me to the question of customer service management for the municipalities running the programs. I think there needs to be a national destination web site for "customers" (aka individuals who have received tickets) to log into a central database and find out if they received a ticket and how to pay the fine. Guilty drivers do not want to wait two weeks to receive the notice and might even want to modify the physical mailing address tied to the vehicle to avoid employer or owner conflicts. I think the implementation of such as program would result in improved payment recovery for the cities.  

Here are some links to the various payment web sites for the camera operators and cities below.

RedFlex - Photo Notice
City of Frederick Ticket Viewer
City of San Bernardino
City of New York

This is a screen show of the welcome screen you will see on PhotoNotice.com.

Media & Lawyers not alone in seeking public records

Article from Quad City Times, Sunday, March 14, 2010

One Bettendorf resident requested information about the city budget, the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center and a series of meetings involving city council members.

A fair contracting organization made six requests to analyze pay and contract awards in Davenport and Rock Island.

Law firms regularly submit requests to the city of Moline for police reports.

A check by the Quad-City Times of the past six months of public records requests made to local cities and school districts showed that it’s not just journalists making requests for information from our local governments. Attorneys, businesses and residents do, too.

The requests are commonly known as FOIAs, after the federal Freedom of Information Act. Each state also has its own open records and meetings laws.

“Traditionally, this issue has been discussed in the public arena as a journalism issue,” said Kathleen Richardson, executive secretary of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council. “That the vast majority of requests for public information are from non-journalists, either from the business sector or private citizens, is really interesting. That certainly shows the value of such laws and the importance of having wide access to government information.”

The Times filed FOIA requests with the cities of Davenport, Bettendorf and Moline and the school districts of Davenport, Bettendorf and Rock Island-Milan. The newspaper sought the last six months of FOIA requests filed by others.

The documents were sought in conjunction with Sunshine Week, which begins today. Sunshine Week is a national initiative led by the American Society of Newspaper Editors to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The Bettendorf School District reported that no requests were filed during the six months, while the city of Moline reported 136 requests. The city of Davenport had 12 requests for documents, while the city of Bettendorf had four. The Davenport School District reported three requests — all by the Times — while the Rock Island-Milan School District tallied eight.

The reason Moline had so many is because the city requires people seeking a police report to file a public records request. All but 17 of Moline’s FOIAs were for such reports.

“Many of ours are from law firms seeking the names of people who were in accidents so they can solicit them,” said Maureen Riggs, deputy city attorney for Moline. Many of the police report requests also came from insurance companies.

Analyzing contracts

The Indiana-Illinois-Iowa Foundation for Fair Contracting made five requests to the Rock Island-Milan School District and one to the city of Davenport. The organization sought documents that showed how contracts were awarded and whether the contractors fairly paid their workers.

“Our organization gets contacted by a public body themselves, or from contractors bidding on projects who don’t believe that all of the contractors have complied with bidding regulations or state and federal laws,” said Mark Poulos, executive director. “Often times a worker may come to us and say, ‘I performed work for X contractor, and I was supposed to be paid a prevailing wage and I wasn’t.’ We get the certified payrolls and do an audit and make a determination.”

The key to getting what you want is follow-up, Poulos said. “Anybody can send a piece of paper to someone asking for information, but if you don’t put it on the calendar and follow up with a second letter that says ‘You failed to respond, what are you going to do about it?’ you may have a problem. It’s all about communication.”

Poulos once encountered a situation where a city wanted to charge him $700 for documents. “We just brought in a portable scanner and scanned them all ourselves — hundreds of documents. It saved us a lot of money.”

Some requests examined by the Times came from businesses seeking information about how a competitor won a contract. For example, American Traffic Solutions Inc. of Arizona sought documents from the city of Davenport relating to the awarding of a contract to Redflex, also of Arizona, for the speed and red light photo enforcement cameras.

Neopost of Carrolton, Texas, a worldwide provider of mailing equipment, sought from the city of Davenport a copy of the original purchase order for the postage equipment the city bought or leased from Pitney Bowes.

Aitchison and Vick, a law firm in Portland, Ore., asked the city of Davenport to provide exhaustive information pertaining to how police officers are compensated. The firm represents police unions during contract negotiations.

Michael Meloy, a Bettendorf attorney representing the owner of A Chorus Line, an adult club engaged in a legal battle with the city of Davenport over the business’s cabaret and liquor licenses, requested from the city all e-mails between his client, Nadeem Mazhar, and city officials.

“Sometimes people will use FOIA requests instead of going through the discovery process,” said Jackie Holecek, deputy city clerk.



Journalists’ requests

The Quad-City Times requested all documents and e-mails regarding the city of Bettendorf’s practice of so-called “three on three” informal city council meetings. The Times also had asked the Davenport School District for documents from the human resources, special education and equity and assessment departments.

A KWQC-TV reporter requested all fire inspection reports and ensuing correspondence about the Phoenix restaurant at 111 W. 2nd St., Davenport. An Associated Press reporter asked for the payroll records of two Davenport police officers.

“Journalists sometimes don’t realize that they have easier access to information than the average citizen,” Richardson said. “It’s not that they have additional rights, because they don’t, but maybe they know the officials because they work with them on a daily basis and they know the ropes, and they know what to ask. They’re given information more readily.”

Officials often advise taking more informal routes to getting information before filing a written request, no matter who you are.

Richardson noted that the average person may not be aware of their rights concerning public records. She has fielded calls and e-mails from citizen activists around the state when communities conduct searches for superintendents or other high-profile jobs. “They’re concerned because they feel the process is being done behind closed doors.” She said she also has received calls and e-mails from people who have had a tough time gaining access to police reports.

One such citizen activist that has made FOIA requests locally is Greg Gackle, a Bettendorf resident who unsuccessfully challenged Mike Freemire for mayor in 2007. He asked for the “three on three” city council meeting information that the Times also requested. He also requested documents pertaining to the city’s budget and the budget for the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center.

Gackle, a public relations professional and former journalist, said the city of Bettendorf has been extremely helpful and prompt when he has made his requests. “I’m not sure the general public is all that interested in these things, but I find it interesting to look at these documents. I think people care about issues if they’re informed about them.”

Resistance happens

Despite open records and meetings laws, some people are met with resistance when attempting to gain access to public records. “I do get phone calls from people that go in and ask for information and are met with hostility. Some public agencies are suspicious — such as ‘Who are you and why do you want this information?’”

She added: “Part of it is that some government employees treat public records like they’re their own. Some education would certainly help.”

The other big hurdle is fees, Richardson said. “There is no standardization across the state on what government agencies can charge. All the law says is that the fee has to be ‘reasonable.’”

What’s more, she said the legislature continues to add exceptions to what can be requested. “There was only a handful of exceptions when the law was enacted back in the 1970s; today there are 61.”

20% of Red Light Camera Tickets are Going Unpaid. - We're only getting payment on about 80 percent of [them]," says Pueblo City Manager Jerry Pacheco. This has left the city $20,000 in the red, which has some people criticizing it on a financial level. Originally the city council bought into the program because the money brought in by the cameras was projected to cover the cost to rent them. Pueblo pays $15,000 every month to rent three camera systems from American Traffic Solutions (ATS). The cameras cover two intersections in the city. That's $90,000 to date in rental fees. Currently, the city has only collected about $70 thousand from tickets. read more

Could the Steel Cities red light cameras be putting the cities budget in the red? According to recent figures from the Pueblo Municipal Court, that's exactly the case…but there is a catch. "This is obviously a hiccup in the program," said Jerry Pacheco, the Pueblo City Manager. When installed last September, the City of Pueblo was hoping that the red light cameras would make at least two intersections in town safer to drive through. But no one was expecting that the cameras would put the city in the hole. The cameras are installed at the intersection of read more

Great explanation of how red light camera protests, how the cameras arrive in your city, how they operate, politics who gets them dismissed. I don't recommend the product he touts at the end which doesn't work.

The two largest red light camera operators ATS and Redflex will likely do more than $200M in revenue in 2010 just in the U.S.  This could be a very light estimate based on the lack of transparency on the number of cameras in operation. I know for a fact the the information they provide on their web sites are out of date.

Here is how we calculated it:  Redflex charges $4,396 per month and American Traffic Soltuions (ATS) charges $4,750 per month per camera according to many news articles around the U.S. Multiple the amount of revenue per camera per month and you come up with a an estimate of what the company will do in revenue in 2010. Based on our calculations ATS likely has more than 2,000 cameras in operation and therefore will likely do about $108M in revenue in 2010 and Redflex has reportedly more than 1,700 cameras in operation and therefore will do around $89M according to our estimates.

Other companies like Red Speed charge $1,499 per month per camera according to news articles.

PhotoEnforced.com Comparison of Red Light Camera Operators (Click Here To Edit/Add Info)

Legislators in Springfield, Illinois will take up a bill Tuesday that could ban automated red-light cameras.

The bill, which has the support of a number of leading Republicans and Democrats, would remove the right of counties and municipalities in Illinois to use the automated red-light cameras. Those cameras, which ticket motorists for going through stop lights, have popped up at intersections across the city and suburbs.  Its unknown whether the Bill will apply to only new cameras or if the old cameras will be taken down.  History has shown us that previous cameras installed in other cities around the Country are grandfathered in until the contracts with Redflex and ATS have expired.

PhotoEnforced.com has been tracking the growth cameras in Illinois and it is one of the fastest growing states to use the technique.  Based on our open database there are more than 700+ locations being monitored around the state with more than two thirds of them in Chicago.

Supporters of the cameras claim they increase safety. But opponents argue the cameras only bring in revenues.

Red-light cameras have become a nuisance for some motorists in the area of Interstate 25 and Lincoln Avenue in Lone Tree, Colorado.

Lone Tree Voice By Chris Michlewicz, Published: 02.12.10

Authorities expect the devices to reduce accidents and traffic congestion. Those who drive along Lincoln Avenue near the I-25 interchange might have seen the bright flashes of light coming from bulbs mounted on light poles at Lincoln and Park Meadows Drive and Lincoln and the highway’s northbound off-ramp, known as San Luis Street. The intersections were identified in a study as problem areas: Lincoln and Park Meadows Drive for congestion, and Lincoln and San Luis for frequent crashes. Lone Tree officials decided to correct the problem by enlisting the services of American Traffic Solutions, which installed and maintains the cameras, prepares violation notices, provides the software for violation approval and collects fines on behalf of the city’s police department.

Since the first set of cameras was placed at Lincoln and Park Meadows Drive in July 2008, Lone Tree has collected $218,000 in fines. That includes numbers from the second and third sets of cameras, which were installed in November. The cameras, however, have proven effective. There is less bottlenecking at the Lincoln and Park Meadows Drive intersection, an issue that caused major back-ups for eastbound and westbound traffic on Lincoln. Statistics on the number of accidents are not yet available, said Sgt. Scott Cavenah, traffic supervisor for the Lone Tree Police Department.

But some motorists are upset about what they call blinding flashes of light, even when there are no vehicles in the intersection. Parker resident David Wilson said he became aware of the cameras as he sat at a red light on westbound Lincoln last summer. While he applauds efforts to improve safety, Wilson believes the cameras could eventually end up causing an accident. “What I can’t understand is the random timing of the photos being taken,” he said. “I watched it flash twice when there was no one even violating the law.” A city spokesperson attributed the “random” flashes to the system “recalibrating” itself. Wilson said the flashes can be distracting to motorists, especially out-of-towners who might not be aware they are present.

The Lincoln and San Luis intersection was found to be a hotspot for regular violations. The study found a high accident rate, a large number of violations during the research period and significant congestion. Furthermore, officers could not effectively work the intersection because of its design. Cavenah has collected data on the intersection, but said the numbers are too preliminary to determine whether the red-light cameras have been effective. “A better comparison can be made once we get at least one-year’s worth of data to review,” he said in an update sent via e-mail. The annual expense to Lone Tree for all three cameras is $180,000. The city ultimately hopes to gain voluntary compliance with the traffic laws and maintain better traffic flow in the area.

Wilson would prefer to see the cameras removed, but expects to see more of them in the Denver metro area in the coming years. “Unfortunately, I think things are going that way,” he said. “They are the cops. They can pretty much do whatever they want.”

Los Angeles Times, February 12, 2010

San Fernando Valley Councilman Dennis Zine would lower fines for red-light violations in L.A.

Councilman says drivers' fines will go down and city revenue will go up if the city processes its own tickets. The county and state are likely to fight the plan, which would decrease their revenue.  Tens of thousands of Los Angeles motorists could see reduced fines for red-light violations -- now hovering around $500 with traffic school fees -- under an unusual proposal presented Wednesday at City Hall.

San Fernando Valley Councilman Dennis Zine introduced a motion to study the feasibility of taking the processing of the city's red-light infractions, and possibly other traffic tickets, out of the hands of the county court system. Such a move could reduce the fines, some of which have risen at three times the rate of inflation in recent years, and increase revenue to the city, Zine said.

The tactic has been quietly adopted by a handful of California towns, but none the size of Los Angeles.

The proposal could trigger a fight with the cash-strapped state as well as judicial agencies, both of which could lose millions in revenue from Los Angeles' red-light tickets. Some have questioned the legality of such city-run adjudication programs.

Red-light ticket revenues have grown in recent years as dozens of California cities have turned to automated photo enforcement systems to monitor intersections around the clock. Los Angeles issues about 3,600 red-light violations per month, just with its camera systems; most have been for rolling right turns.

Los Angeles police officials report that the city netted more than $6 million last year from its photo enforcement program.

Zine, a former Los Angeles traffic officer, has been critical of the jump in red light fines, which are set by state and county agencies.

The fines have become punitive, he argues, particularly for families struggling in the economic downturn. He noted that the city receives only about one-third -- less than $150 -- of the total fine levied for the red-light tickets its officers issue, while on patrol or via camera systems.

Courts might benefit from his proposal because they are overloaded and reducing days of operation, Zine said in an interview. A Los Angeles County Superior Court spokesperson was not available for comment.

Under the proposal, the city would conduct its own administrative hearings on the tickets. Drivers would still get points for violations reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles, he said. The proposal will be initially considered by the council's Public Safety and Budget committees.

The Arizona Republic, David Madrid - Feb. 10, 2010

To save money, the city is terminating its contract with Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions, which operates traffic-enforcement cameras. The two intersections with red-light cameras are at Dysart Road and Van Buren Street and at Dysart and McDowell roads. The city uses a photo-speed-enforcement van throughout the city.

The cameras began snapping red-light runners in February 2006. In June 2007, the city began a speed-enforcement-van trial, which led to the van contract.In February 2009, the council approved expanding the program to include two more photo-red-light intersections. All four intersections were to be modified to enforce both red-light and speed violations. The project was to be completed in March.  That isn't happening.

The camera program was popular with the council, but it costs $425,000. That includes contractor fees, officer overtime, a traffic program coordinator and court staff. By ending the program, the net savings to the city is $106,390. The council has always maintained that the cameras weren't there to raise revenue but for safety.

Police Chief Kevin Kotsur said there has been a drop in traffic accidents, but he believes the bad economy means fewer people driving. And the costs of the program are rising every year.  "Looking at the stats, there's no significant correlation between the number of accidents and the impact photo enforcement has been having on those wrecks," he said. "It's down all over the city. It's down all over the state."

San Jose Mercury News - Feb. 10, 2010

At least 3,000 drivers will get money back for red light tickets in South San Francisco, thanks to an error in finalizing the contract with the company that installed the cameras.   Officials in this San Francisco suburb say the city council neglected to ratify the contract with American Traffic Solutions Inc., which installed the cameras last summer. That means the city could not legally operate the automatic cameras.  The contract was finally ratified Jan. 27.

Mayor Mark Addiego says the city contacting motorists caught by the red light cameras between Aug. 15 and Jan. 27 to pay back the $446 fine or the cost of traffic school. Officials say the refund will cost the city at least $1.4 million, in addition to thousands in staff costs needed to help figure out whom to refund.

Naples News By BRENT BATTEN

A cynic’s view of government holds that, “If it moves, tax it.” And if it moves right on red? Tax it uniformly across the state.

A bill introduced in the state Legislature would bring consistency to the mishmash of local red-light camera programs operating in Florida cities and counties. It would also bring millions of dollars to the state treasury.

Rep. Ron Reagan of Sarasota is the primary sponsor of House Bill 325, the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act. The bill would take the details of red-light camera use away from local jurisdictions and place them under state regulation. Cities and counties will decide for themselves whether to use the cameras and strike their own deals with vendors who provide them, but the amount of the fines will be set by the state, with the state receiving more than half the money generated.

Reagan says the purpose of the bill is not to raise money. It is named after a Sarasota resident killed by a red-light runner and Reagan said the goal is to enhance highway safety. “I don’t ignore the revenue side but I’m in it for safety first and foremost,” he said.

Using previous years’ volumes of red-light citations and assuming cameras will catch at least twice as many violators, he estimates the bill could mean an additional $80 million to $100 million to the state, adding, “I hope it’s zero.”

The fine for a red-light violation under the bill, which has a Senate companion version, would be $155. Of that, $75 would go to the local jurisdiction, $55 would go to the state general fund and $25 would go to the Health Administration Trust Fund, with biggest share of that set aside for trauma centers and emergency rooms.

Whatever local jurisdictions pay to private companies to supply, maintain and operate the systems would have to come out of their $75 cut.

The new arrangement would potentially boost Collier County’s receipts from its red-light camera program. First time violators here now pay a $62.50 fine, with the vendor, American Traffic Solutions of Arizona, getting $47.50 of that. But second- and third-time offenders pay fines of $75 and $100, with the county keeping a larger share. There’s no graduated fine schedule in the state law. Other places, like Orlando where the fine is $125, would stand to lose money.

While the question is not addressed in the bill as written, Reagan said language may be added to take on the most controversial aspect of the cameras -- the preponderance of tickets written to drivers turning right on red. “I’m working on that. I don’t have an answer yet,” he said.

One approach would be to follow the example set in Orlando, where they don’t issue tickets if a driver turns right on red at less than 5 mph and there are no pedestrians at the intersection. Another is to waive fines if drivers hesitate before turning right on red and a third is to ticket all drivers turning right unless they follow the letter of the law. The latter approach sends a signal that the program is about raising revenue, Reagan conceded. On the other hand, “We can’t tell people, ‘You can break the law.’”

When Reagan first introduced legislation governing red-light cameras in the state five years ago, only one city was using them. Now there are 64 cities and counties using cameras, making the case for uniform standards more compelling. “I have all the confidence in the world we’ll get this through,” he said.