Red light photo enforcement program

[Jake P]

1 month ago tomorrow i received a ticket for running a red light which i didn't feel was fair. I was thinking of not paying it because it is a ticket from the city not from the police department and i didn't think anything would actually happen if i didn't.

 I decided to check it out on the website today since i had 1 more day to pay it and boy was i glad. "Failure to pay the civil penalty may result in the reporting to the Collection Agency and/or the County Assessor Collector or the Texas Department of Transportation  who may refuse to register a motor vehicle alleged to have been involved in the violation."

  I logged into the website and was amazed as i watched a VIDEO of me CLEARLY running the red light which i thought i didn't run at all  . Thanks to LBH i now hover my foot over the break when the light is "stale green" , maybe i should come drive for UPS  ;D. Be safe and drive smart out on the roads  so you don't have to pay people money. Oh yea also for that safety thing.

[firefightn15]

Some people will do anything to mug for the camera!

[guitarkid]

Do not worry I think it is just an excuse to milk the citizens out of there money too.

                              -searoach

[.dsaavedra.]

i hate stale green lights  

[Catt]

Do not worry I think it is just an excuse to milk the citizens out of there money too.

                              -searoach

Especially since running a red light is not dangerous in any way

[tyrius.]

Do not worry I think it is just an excuse to milk the citizens out of there money too.

                              -searoach

Especially since running a red light is not dangerous in any way

Or that certain municipalities have shortened the time of the yellow light in order to get more people to "run a red light" so that the municipality can increase their funds from the red light cameras.  

[Fishin-Psyantist]

   Ive often wondered how many red lights I have run in my life time. So many times I have looked into the rear view mirror and seeing the intersection I just went through not being able to recal what color the light was or ever seeing it.

[BrianinMD]

What always amazes me its supposed to be a "deterrent" but it doesn't stop anyone from doing it. And the cities that put it in always seem to do it when they have a budget crunch....hmmm...

[Hookemdown.]

Solution: Don't run red lights.

[WIII-60]

they just started to do this in KC. The intersections have to be marked if they are "recorded".....

There has been some degree of argument over this with the PD/FD/EMT. If a first responder is "caught" running a red light then he/she is responsible for the ticket. At face value that seems logical but, say you have a situation that is a justifiable emergency and the person you need is close. He either has to turn on his lights and sirens to go two blocks, around the corner, down the street, etc. or run the light and pay the ticket.  

I think that some cities may see an increase in response time as a result.

[burleytog]

Or that certain municipalities have shortened the time of the yellow light in order to get more people to "run a red light" so that the municipality can increase their funds from the red light cameras.  

I have to wonder just how much extra $$ these municipalities are seeing.  A city about 40 miles away installed these cameras last year.  If memory serves, the city only sees about 30% of the fine.

[guitarkid]

Do not worry I think it is just an excuse to milk the citizens out of there money too.

                              -searoach

Especially since running a red light is not dangerous in any way

I am not trying to say that, I am trying to say that they are doing what I call "the Rosco effect."

That is when they try to put up stuff for no reason. Maybe in an intersection where light running is an issue, but all of them? i think it is pointless.

                          -searoach

[tyrius.]

I have to wonder just how much extra $$ these municipalities are seeing. A city about 40 miles away installed these cameras last year. If memory serves, the city only sees about 30% of the fine.

That's 30% that they wouldn't have had prior to the cameras.

Also, the percentage depends upon the deal with the camera providers.  Some cities do not purchase them.  Instead they allow the camera providers to install their product in the city's intersections so that the city gets a cut of the tickets while the camera provider takes the biggest part.  Yeah like there isn't any incentive to screw people over with that deal!!!!   :-X

[grimlin]

They put some up here not too long ago.Once i was coming up the intersection it turned yellow and i was in a semi tough decision because the city cops are known to ticket yellow light runners where if you stop you are gonna either be sliding through or if you can stop the car behind you will probably hit you.Remembering one guy at work telling me he got a ticket from those cameras for running through the light yellow to red.So i ended up slamming on my brakes and held on tight for the guy behind who almost hit me.He's cussing at me in his car and i'm sweating bullets over those dang cameras.

From my point of view i don't see what's so safe about these cameras.

[dumb_dog11]

They say you should just throw those camera tickets away

theres no way to prove that youve gotten the ticket...mail is very unreliable

[Jake P]

Or that certain municipalities have shortened the time of the yellow light in order to get more people to "run a red light" so that the municipality can increase their funds from the red light cameras.  

I have to wonder just how much extra $$ these municipalities are seeing.  A city about 40 miles away installed these cameras last year.  If memory serves, the city only sees about 30% of the fine.

30%? You would think if the city is the one running the cameras and issuing the tickets that they would see alot more than 30%. I dont doubt what your saying is true but only 30%.....

[weknowhowtolive]

Or that certain municipalities have shortened the time of the yellow light in order to get more people to "run a red light" so that the municipality can increase their funds from the red light cameras.

I have to wonder just how much extra $$ these municipalities are seeing. A city about 40 miles away installed these cameras last year. If memory serves, the city only sees about 30% of the fine.

30%? You would think if the city is the one running the cameras and issuing the tickets that they would see alot more than 30%. I dont doubt what your saying is true but only 30%.....

Usually to pass something like that the city council has to offer incentives to the tax payers, so a lot of money for any program is shuffled around. Thank god!

[Matt Fly]

As Burley mentioned.     The cameras come with a nice price tag.

So instead of voting for the funding on up coming budget issues,  Civilian compaines are doing the installation and providing the equipment free.

    In return, they will mail the ticket and collect all fees and the city gets a small cut.

    What a better revenue system, a company who pays for the camera, the installation and posting of all signs stating a "photo enforced intersecton,  the billing and collection of fines, and the city just sits back and collects their share.

    In short, local government will either raise your taxes or find other avenues like redlight cameras to help support the growing city government budgets.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Way I see this issue is: Dont run a red light and you wont ever have to worry about it. There are a few intersections near me that always have wrecks. It gets real old sitting in traffic because someone doesnt wait a minute and just runs the red. Is 1-2 minuts really worth a wreck or 100 $ fine(whatever they are).  I guess I'm really not in that big of a hurry.

[Wayne P.]

The sequence goes as follows: green is "go", yellow is "prepare to stop", red is "stop". Kind of simple when you follow the guide lines for traffic control.

A local high school kid got killed a few weeks ago by a truck that ran a red light that was controlling traffic on a divided highway. She was coming out of a side street and had crossed the 2 North bound lanes and was making a left turn thru the intersection and was hit in the South bound lanes. The median is about 2 1/2 lanes wide.