Police Catch More Red-Light Runners
Citations for red-light violations more than doubled this year due to better cameras.
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Hyattsville police caught more than twice as many red-light violations in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the first nine months of 2009, according to traffic citation data.
The difference isn't the drivers. It's the cameras. Red-light cameras installed in several stoplights throughout Hyattsville were intermittently offline during stretches of 2009 due to software issues and roadside construction activities.
But would-be violators, be advised: Those problems have been solved, and the cameras are now all systems go.
"A lot of people got off scot-free in 2009 because the cameras were being fixed. Now we have them back up and running," said Matt McKnight, City Councilman (District 3).
So whereas police identified and ticketed 1,201 violations by the end of September 2009, according to the Hyattsville City Police Department's Third Quarter 2010 Report, they nabbed 2,874 violations at the same point in time in 2010.
The city has cameras at three intersections, according to Abby Sandel, the City of Hyattsville communications manager: East-West Highway and Queens Chapel Road/Adelphi Road; northbound Queens Chapel Road and Queensbury Road/Belcrest Road; and northbound Route 1 at the intersection of Alt. Route 1.
Sandel said that Hyattsville has had cameras since 2005, but last year was a rocky one for them. The one at East-West Highway was taken offline for most of the year to allow for State Highway Administration construction teams to renovate the intersection.
"They rebuilt the entire intersection," Sandel said. "They did a lot of pedestrian enhancements."
The other two cameras went offline for a few intermittent days in order for their onboard software systems to make needed upgrades. Sandel said that this was a planned shutoff, not a glitch, but it still meant that the cameras weren't scouting for red-light runners.
"Like any piece of equipment, they need periodic software upgrades," she said.
Nonetheless, 2010's total citation number will be a six-year record. As recorded by the 2009 Annual Police Report, the highest citation number prior was in 2005 and stood at only 2,746.
Drivers will know when they are approaching a camera. The metallic box frames sit atop sturdy grey poles ranging 10 or more feet off the ground. They are conspicuous, according to Sandel, and they are supposed to be.
"We hope drivers will stop at every stoplight. But we know that they will be a lot more attentive if the camera is clearly visible and they can tell that it is there," she said.
Ruth Ann Frazier, Councilwoman (Ward 5), praised the cameras as a much-needed control on residents' driving habits. She said that she frequently sees drivers on her street, 37th Avenue, either drive too quickly or ignore stop signs.
"There is a stop sign up at the end of the street and you have to wonder, 'Is anyone going to bother?'" she said.
She added that with cameras at an intersection, more drivers may rethink how they drive. Drivers who ignore a stop sign will probably not ignore a camera.
"I know for a while they (the red light cameras) weren't working, and they said they weren't pulling in the expected money. But whether they were working or not, if people thought they were working and people were slowing down, they were worth it in my opinion," she said.
Sandel is optimistic that slower driving will become more of a norm over time as people get accustomed to having cameras at the stoplights. Then the numbers of tickets will go down and stay down.
"When you first install them, you get a lot of tickets. Then people kind of get used to them," she said.
Correction: This article orignially misidentified the locations of two of the red light cameras, based on information provided by the city. The first line of this article was also corrected. We regret the error.
JSW
5:50 am on Friday, December 31, 2010
I applaud the efforts to ticket red light runners and hopefully this will raise awareness to a
very dangerous practice. I nearly lost one of my sons to a driver who ran a red light at
Forbes and MLK in Lanham. Luckily his life was spared but a reminder of the accident
is the loss of sight in one eye. I often see drivers run traffic lights after the yellow has gone out and the red light is on. I believe that running a stop sign or red light is a 12 point offense in MD,
if so when some of these drivers are catching Metro to work or whereever they will have an appreciation for the privledge of driving and obeying the laws of MD.
Sarah Nemeth
12:04 pm on Friday, December 31, 2010
I'm so sorry to hear about your son's situation. I hope these red light cameras will help us all be more aware of how we drive and who we might be putting in danger if we try to run the lights.
Walter Darnall
4:35 pm on Sunday, January 2, 2011
If it's one thing I can't abide, it's a red-light/stop sign runner.
Some driver's criticize red-light cameras because they say their main purpose is for generating revenue for the city, county, etc., and that road/pedestrian safety is a distant secondary concern. Well, even if true, I could care less, because the way I see it, the more revenue that is collected from red-light runners (that cause accidents, injury, and death) -- the less I potentially have to pay in taxes, auto insurance -- and the safer I am on the roadways!
Sarah Nemeth
4:00 pm on Tuesday, January 4, 2011
That's an interesting point, Walter. Maybe if the threat of marks on a driver's license doesn't quell the red-light/stop sign runners, having to fork over the cash to pay the ticket will!
Walter Darnall
4:51 pm on Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Yes, Sarah, it's double jeopardy (points on driver's license and fine) and I'm all for it.
IMO, red-light running is a serious traffic offense (many a person has been killed or seriously injured when a red-light runner T-boned their car).
Actually, now that I think about it, it's triple jeopardy, i.e., points on driver's license, fine, and possibly higher auto insurance rates.
I can state empirically that the above was once my case (but for wreckless driving and slightly under the influence of alcohol). I learned my lesson from my driving indescretions, and haven't had an accident, ticket, or traffic violation of any kind now for the past 40 years -- and I hope to continue that streak!
One other thing concerning red-light cameras I forgot to mention in my orginal reply was that all traffic lights that have red-light cameras should be independently certified that the yellow-time is appropriate for the road speed.
I've read numerous articles where the yellow-time was too short (in accordance with DOT standards), ostensibly so as to facilitate an otherwise law-abiding driver in getting a ticket for running a red light (when in reality they would have cleared the intersection while still on the yellow light).
Danny
10:42 am on Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The first sentence of this article makes no sense: "Hyattsville police caught more than twice as many red-light violations in the first nine months of 2010 compared to the first nine months of 2010."
Also, 2 of the 3 the locations of the cameras are incorrect. They are at:
1) northbound US1 with its intersection at Alt US1 (near Franklin's)
2) northbound Queens Chapel and Queensbury/Belcrest
3) (as stated in the article) eastbound E-W Highway at Queens Chapel/Adelphi
Hamilton Street and Queensbury Road don't intersect, and Hamilton Street and Jamestown Road intersect at a stop sign near the West Hyattsville Metro station -- no traffic light there.
Sarah Nemeth
12:32 pm on Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Indeed, Danny! Thank you very much for letting us know! I will be making corrections to this article as soon as I am able to determine the exact locations of these cameras.
We regret this error.
Walter Darnall
9:48 am on Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Unintended consequences:
I was reading that in south Florida in cities with red light cameras, an increasing number of drivers are fighting their tickets -- and winning! Further, attendant costs to the city to defend their case (i.e., preparing evidence files for the court, reviewing tapes, etc.) are soaring.
Judges are dismissing cases due to lack of required photographic evidence that a vehicle had not entered the intersection before the light turned red, and that employees reviewing the tapes weren't certified to do so.
Further, anticipated revenue from tickets is decreasing as drivers become privy to the red light cameras.
Of course, it shouldn't be hard to correct any camera problems (using synchronized multiple cameras to record a driver's actions so that there is no doubt that a given vehicle entered an intersection after the light had changed to red). And as far as reduced ticket revenue, that is to be expected a driver awareness of of red light cameras is realized.