Austin News Headlines (Southwest) - Community Impact Newspaper
Cameras to catch those ignoring red lights
Written by Christi Covington Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Safety program prepares launch
Austin — Drivers running red lights influenced or caused more than 1,300 accidents in Austin with at least three resulting in fatalities in 2007, according to the Austin Police Department.
In an attempt to decrease the number of injuries, the city announced May 12 that “Keep Austin Safe,” a new red light camera program will launch May 23 during Memorial Day weekend.
Council Member Jennifer Kim said no warning period will be given once the cameras are activated. Instead, the city has begun a public awareness campaign running on area television and radio stations to prepare drivers.
Although the first camera will be activated at the intersection of IH 35’s northbound service road and 11th Street, eight other cameras, including some in Northwest and Southwest Austin, will begin operating during the following weeks.
Kim introduced a measure in July 2006 with co-sponsorship by council members Lee Leffingwell and Mike Martinez for a pilot program to test the equipment that would be used.
Then last November the council unanimously passed the traffic enforcement initiative, authorizing the use of the cameras to catch drivers ignoring red lights. As required by the state, intersections were chosen as a result of traffic studies conducted by both the city public works department and the police department.
The camera system, which initially will cost $856,000 for installation and operation, takes photographs after a vehicle enters an intersection when the light is red. It will not capture images of drivers’ faces, but only of the vehicle. Austin Police Department will monitor the photo-based system with a group of trained officers to determine valid violations.
Those who run lights at the designated intersections will receive a $75 penalty for each violation, which will not appear on a driving record. Failure to pay the fee within 30 days of the due date will result in a $25 late fee. If the driver still does not pay the fee, the city will use a collection agency, but failure to pay will not affect credit reports. At this point, the collection agency is the last resort. The council could adopt another measure to prevent renewal of a driver’s license upon a citizen’s failure to pay.
Half of the net revenue generated from the red light camera will go to a state trauma care fund, as required by state law. The city will put the other half into an account used for traffic safety programs.
For more information, visit the www.cityofaustin.org Red Light FAQ
What will be on the notice of violation
- A description of the alleged violation.
- The location of the intersection where the incident occurred.
- Date and time of the incident.
- Name and address of the owner of the vehicle.
- A copy of the recorded image.
Grounds for a violation being dismissed*
(Hearing must be requested with 30 days of receiving a notice of violation)
- The vehicle entered the intersection to yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle.
- The driver was acting in compliance with a lawful order or direction of a police officer.
- The vehicle had been stolen.
- The vehicle was being operated by a person other than the owner of the vehicle.
- The presence of ice, snow, unusual amounts of rain or other unusually hazardous road conditions existed that would make it more dangerous to stop at the red light than to proceed.
- A peace officer issued a citation for the same incident.
*Not comprehensive
Locations of Red Light Cameras
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July 01, 2008
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