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Red light camera locations to double { September 9 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45233-2003Sep8.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45233-2003Sep8.html
Montgomery Cites Benefits Of Cameras at Traffic Lights
By Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 9, 2003; Page B01
The use of cameras at more than two dozen Montgomery County intersections has lowered the number of red-light violations by an average of 21 percent in recent years and reduced the number of accidents by 3.5 percent, county officials said yesterday.
The number of red-light camera locations is set to almost double in the coming year, and County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) said the study, to be released today, demonstrates that the cameras improve traffic safety. Although the system has not been glitch-free, he said, the program has worked well so far and deserves to be expanded.
"We don't want people to die in traffic accidents," Duncan said. "I think the entire traffic safety and pedestrian program we've been using for the past few years is really paying off."
The use of cameras to ticket speeders and red-light runners is becoming increasingly common -- as is criticism of the practice. Advocates say the devices improve safety and save lives. Opponents say the cameras are mainly a moneymaking tool and raise the specter of Big Brother watching over people's shoulders.
This summer, a D.C. Superior Court judge tossed out a lawsuit by motorists challenging the electronic enforcement system as an infringement of their due process rights.
"We've got a system where, in some places, they've got a 'gotcha' game for greenbacks," said Lon Anderson, a spokesman for the AAA's Mid-Atlantic chapter.
As part of an effort to reduce pedestrian fatalities and increase traffic safety, Montgomery County began installing red-light cameras in October 1999. The county currently has 26 locations where red-light cameras are in operation, and officials expect to increase the total to 45 next year, Duncan spokeswoman Esther Bowring said.
As the number of cameras has increased, the number of citations has dropped, suggesting a deterrent effect, Bowring said. Comparing only full-year police data for each location, Bowring said, the number of red-light citations issued at 25 of 26 intersections where cameras are in use has declined an average of 21 percent. At one location, violations dropped 44 percent, from 10,999 in 2000 to 6,164 in 2002.
The basic fine for running a red light is $75, Bowring said. The county pays a flat fee of $3,000 a month per camera to EDS, the contractor that operates the cameras, so there is no incentive for EDS to be overly aggressive, police Capt. John Fitzgerald said.
Meanwhile, collisions directly related to running red lights fell 3.5 percent at 20 camera-equipped intersections for which at least two years of data are available, Bowring said.
Anderson, the AAA spokesman, said that Montgomery's program generally has been well run and that he is not opposed to using cameras to catch violators. But he also warned that the systems can be unfair.
For example, a camera was installed at a Bethesda traffic light that changed from yellow to red in three seconds, after a succession of intersections at which yellow lights lasted four seconds, Anderson said. The Bethesda light, at Wisconsin and Montgomery avenues, racked up more than $1 million in fines from more than 14,000 tickets before the county adjusted the device, Anderson said.
Staff writer Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
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