Posted on 05/07/2008 12:16:43 PM PDT by jim_trent
RED LIGHT CAMERA SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND PLACEMENT FOR INTERSECTION SAFETY WEB SEMINAR
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 Time: 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Eastern Credit: 1.5 PDH/.15 IACET CEU
Background: Red light running is a serious safety issue at many intersections in the US and other countries. Cameras that automatically record red light violators and provide the means for issuing citations by mail have been shown to reduce the collision toll under some circumstances over the past few years.
However, the success of a camera program depends upon many good decisions being made by the responsible jurisdiction and engineers. This course will instruct engineers on the basics for considering a red light running camera enforcement program to enhance intersection safety.
Students should realize that the scope of the course does not include the details of camera operation or program administration. These details are important but vary widely by vendor and jurisdiction.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:
1) Recite basic statistics on red light running
2) Discuss the major reasons that drivers run red lights and cause collisions
3) Recall general findings from the literature on camera effectiveness
4) Recite other countermeasures for red light running collisions besides cameras that may be effective in some places
5) Discuss the basic criteria that guide effective choices of intersection approaches to receive cameras
6) Argue the key aspects of effective camera systems such as grace periods, signing, public information, and driver versus vehicle citations
7) Discuss the need for camera system oversight and periodic effectiveness evaluation
Intended Audience: Traffic engineers, transportation engineers, consultants and TOPS, PTOE and TSOS certificants
They aren’t going away.
Far from it.
Learn to protect yourself from them.
“Learn to protect yourself from them.”
I don’t buy from businesses within the immeditate area of a camera as the chance of a ticket for a simple error is too high. Not a boycott, just risk averse behavior.
$100 / ticket times number of tickets issued = big cash for the city. If the mayor's idiot brother-in-law is hired as a subcontractor, then installation is nearly guaranteed.
2) Discuss the major reasons that drivers run red lights and cause collisions
The yellow light was too short and the drivers didn't have a chance to stop
3) Recall general findings from the literature on camera effectiveness
Cameras are more effective at revenue generation if the yellow light is shortened, thus getting more drivers to run a red light.
4) Recite other countermeasures for red light running collisions besides cameras that may be effective in some places
Longer yellow lights - revenue negative.
Obvious police presence - revenue negative.
Two second 4 direction red light - revenue negative.
5) Discuss the basic criteria that guide effective choices of intersection approaches to receive cameras
Put them up where people are more likely to not see the red light, such as at the end of a blind curve. Ka-ching!
6) Argue the key aspects of effective camera systems such as grace periods, signing, public information, and driver versus vehicle citations
Grace periods are no revenue periods = bad
signing and public information - Warning of red light cameras reduce revenue = bad
Driver citation require a clear picture of the driver who is more likely to go to court, while vehicle citations often don't even have a court option = mo money mo money mo money!
7) Discuss the need for camera system oversight and periodic effectiveness evaluation
When drivers discover the cameras and their location become publicly known, they might interfere with the camera revenue by stopping at the red light. Move cameras often to prevent this.
Solution: Get a license plate cover that blocks your number from the side and above. This also works on speed photo radar vans.
What about the excessive accuracy of the red light cameras causing a decrease in revenues. People run fewer lights to revenue goes down. Fewer tickets because no close calls at the “discretion” of the officer.
8) Show how to reduce yellow light duration to ensure more people run red lights.
9) Identify the most dangerous intersections in your city and ignore them, then identify the most used intersections for camera placement.
I’ve heard they’re doing it right in some places, but in others numbers 8 and 9 apply, as they’re doing it purely for income.
Here in Texas they are turning them off because revenue fell off. It isn’t about saving lives. It is about the money.
I had a co-worker tell me she got a “speeding” ticket for “approaching” a school zone (at 30mph) without slowing down (the quote she used was that the officer said “you weren’t going to slow down until you saw me...”).
It is also contrary to the way the law was enforced when I learned to drive, meaning that what counted was the status of the light as you entered the intersection. Plenty of drivers will learn that things have changed and learn it the hard (and expensive) way.
Now consider the effect shortening the yellow light duration will have. Not only do you need the reflexes of a NASCAR driver but a heavy foot as you zoom through to get across the far line in time. This is insanity.
Meanwhile, studies have shown (again I need to find a source link) that increasing the yellow duration - and in many cases that means restoring the recommended minimum!!! - has a dramatic effect on dropping the number of infractions. Yeah, giving a vehicle enough time to clear the intersection under normal operating conditions reduces technicality violations, imagine that.
There ought to be a law - against tampering with the traffic control system.
But be sure your state hasn't turned that into an "obstructing justice" violation or its equivalent first.
I am not pro-Red-Light-Cameras, but the BS you two are spouting about yellow-lights is not true. The first time that charge was made was a case in California. I actually talked to a traffic guy from there during an ITE meeting shortly after it happened.
He said that the red lights were set to the standard ITE formula. That is 3 to 5 seconds in most cases (depending on the speed limit, width of the intersection, and grade — among other things). Seems that a State legislator got a ticket. He introduced a bill to make the yellow time a flat 5 seconds and got it passed. That made virtually ALL yellow light times in California “illegal”. Unfortunately, longer yellow times than the ITE formula have been proven countless times to be LESS safe than correct times.
To be more specific, there is a short term increase in safety (for 3 to 6 months) when the yellow signal is lengthened. Then regular users of the intersection learn about the longer time from experience and push the limits like they did originally. The technical word for this in the literature is “habituation”. Then the safety goes down to where it was or, in some cases, even lower (since the intersection can service fewer cars in a given period of time, making everyone more impatient.
You two are taking a POLITICIANS side against repeated peer-review scientific testing in this particular case.
By far, the easiest way to solve the problem is to delay the green light for the other drivers, say by three seconds. They will not start until well past the time that the light changed.
Here are several posted studies (back when I was looking at them).
http://www.motorists.com/issues/enforce/studies/TRB2004-001228.pdf
http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/4027-2.pdf
http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/TRB_82/TRB2003-000136.pdf
http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/TRB_82/TRB2003-000943.pdf
http://www.ltrc.lsu.edu/TRB_82/TRB2003-000285.pdf
http://stc.utk.edu/htm/pdf%20files/red.pdf
http://www.uritc.uri.edu/media/finalreportspdf/536146.pdf
However, I do not believe they back up what you say. The way the literature says they are supposed to be set up is to have the camera come on the moment the signal turns red. Anyone entering the intersection after that gets a ticket. Anyone entering the intersection before that should not get a ticket.
Lengthing the yellow indication to longer than the ITE formula (generally 3 to 5 seconds, depending on several physical factors) does NOT increase safety. In most cases, it decreases safety. Unless the yellow indication time is set wrong to begin with, lengthing it will not increase safety.
The science of traffic control uses statistics more than any other form of engineering (and I have worked in several of them). Statistics can be twisted and misused, but it is starting to prove out that in most cases, Red-Light-Cameras do slightly increase safety. It greatly reduces T-bone accidents which are the kind that are most often fatal. However, it increases rear-end accidents. These kind of accidents usually have fewer deaths, fewer and less serious injuries, and less property damage.
I wish it did not have to be done because the reason it is being used is for revenue, not safety. In addition, it will make it easier to use more cameras resulting in further loss of privacy. But, it is coming. The groundwork for this was laid 10 years ago. It is just coming to fruition now.
I have been saying here that “congestion-pricing” in the next big thing on the horizon. It is now where Red-Light-cameras was 10 years ago. Now is the time to kill congestion-pricing. it is too late to kill Red-Light-cameras, but most here do not agree. In 10 years when they have to start paying money for absolutely NOTHING (which is what congestion-pricing is) you will hear their yells.
> “My son was killed by a red light runner...”
My sympathies to you and your family. I was hit by a red-light runner about 10-12 years ago with my entire family in the car. Luckily, no one was hurt (other than some sore joints the next few days). The cost to fix my 2-month old car was approx 25% of the new value.
He did not have license plates or insurance on his car. The red-light runner lied about everything that happened and was eventually given a $25 ticket. AFTER the verdict was rendered, it was revealed that he had a whole string of red-light running accidents.
I would have dearly loved an unbiased red-light camera at that time.
6 Cities That Were Caught Shortening Yellow Light Times For Profit March 26th, 2008
My assertion is that the primary purpose for these cameras is revenue generation. Whether accidents are reduced or increased is largely immaterial to local governments. If you find out your local community is installing them, get your video cameras and stopwatches out to record and time the light pattern to make sure it is legal and be prepared to publicly embarrass anyone involved with the evidence when you find out the lights aren't set correctly.
Such license plates obstructions are an offense in and of themselves here in TX, even though the law was recently amended to prohibit “substantial impairments”. Now COPS just interpret the law, so no difference. I have seen tickets given for this violation as an attorney.
Interesting.
My stopwatch says otherwise.
My local revenue enhancement officers (mayor and council) announced two red light camera installations with the usual blather about only safety.
Off I went, stopwatch and notebook in hand, to said intersections. In little time I had a lot of info on the sequence, timing and duration of the light cycles.
One installation was approved, and after completion, back was I, before and after the grace period.
The yellow light duration was not the only thing manipulated.
Light sequencing for time of day/directional density was altered to increase the total number of red lights presented to motorists in any one time period, and red lights were presented to through traffic packets when there were no cross traffic or pedestrians present to use the intersection.
The interesting thing about this last trick is that presenting a red to a group of motorists just to make them stop for no purpose is not outlawed or restricted. Additionally the mistiming of lights is the largest reason for red light infractions in this case.
Truth, honesty or consideration do not lie with the municipality, here.
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