Sunday, August 22, 2010

Red light cameras in Redwood City have not resulted in a significant drop in accidents

By Bonnie Eslinger

Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: 08/21/2010 03:00:00 AM PDT

Red-light cameras at a major intersection in Redwood City have not led to significantly fewer traffic accidents, the city's police chief acknowledges in his response to a critical grand jury report that concluded the devices are used mainly as revenue generators.

In a June report, the San Mateo County civil grand jury questioned the use of red-light cameras, which it suggested are more effective as cash cows for governments than as life savers.

Redwood City has had red-light cameras at the intersection of Whipple Avenue and Veterans Boulevard since March 2008. It is one of at least eight cities in the county that have installed such devices in the name of public safety at selected intersections, according to the grand jury report. The current fine for camera-caught violations is $446.

According to a letter Redwood City police Chief Louis Cobarruviaz wrote in response to the grand jury report, there hasn't been a significant reduction in accidents since the cameras were installed. However, the number of red-light violations has dropped, indicating the devices may be an effective "deterrent," he wrote.

City officials did not provide the number of accidents before and after the cameras were installed, saying the information was unavailable Friday.

The city council is scheduled to discuss Cobarruviaz's letter Monday night before voting to send it to the grand jury. But Council Member Ian Bain said in an interview that if the cameras are not reducing accidents, they're not fulfilling their intended purpose.

"In terms of effectiveness, I don't think the number of tickets is the measure," he said.

Red-light cameras have become increasingly popular traffic law tools for cities across the country. But they're also lightning rods because they can "catch" one violator after another, who then receive citations in the mail that demand hefty fines.

The grand jury found that the number of citations issued from red-light cameras for failing to completely stop before making a right turn was "out of proportion to similar offenses and as a result is often appealed to the traffic court."

Without offering specific numbers, Redwood City confirmed that many of its citations from the cameras were for turning right against a light without stopping, but noted such infractions endanger bicyclists, pedestrians and other drivers.

Mayor Jeff Ira said he didn't know the city was ticketing right-turn violators until he himself got caught on camera. He intends to bring it up Monday night.

"When the council first approved this, we only approved running through the red light, not the right-hand turn," he said.

Based on data from November 2009 through March 2010, the grand jury found that Redwood City issues an average of 500 citations a month from infractions caught by red-light cameras. Most of the revenue from fines goes to the state and county, but what's left over for the city amounts to an average of about $65,000 per month, according to the report.

A police department representative was not available to answer questions Friday.

Cobarruviaz's proposed response to the grand jury says the city has no plans to install additional cameras, but the police department's website indicates it is considering putting them at the intersections of Woodside Road and Broadway and at Veterans Boulevard and Woodside Road.

A city spokesperson said the website information is "outdated."

The grand jury also found that red-light camera vendors recommend locations based on the "potential number of red-light violations and not necessarily the number of accidents that can be prevented" and encourage cities to sign up for the program by offering "cost neutral" clauses that promise they'll make enough revenue to pay for the program.

On Thursday, attorney Bruce Simon sued two major traffic camera vendors -- Redflex and American Traffic Solutions -- on behalf of a Palo Alto woman, charging that the "cost neutral" provision in the contracts is illegal. The two companies provide red-light cameras to all the San Mateo County cities that use them, according to the grand jury report.

"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."

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15844991?nclick_check=1

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