Spokane7
48°
February 26, 2010 in City
More cameras to capture red-light runners as of Monday
Jody Lawrence-Turner
The Spokesman-Review
Four new cameras to catch red-light runners will be activated Monday.
The Photo Red systems will be located at Freya Street facing north at Third Avenue, Second Avenue facing west at Thor Street, Wellesley Avenue facing east at Ash Street, and Division Street facing north at Sprague Ave.
Warning notices will be mailed for traffic violations committed at those intersections during the first 31 days, said Spokane Police Officer Teresa Fuller. Actual citations will be issued starting April 1.
Spokane has had Photo Red cameras at three intersections since October 2008. So far, “they’ve captured over 7,500 red-light runners,” Fuller said.
Recent stories by Jody Lawrence-Turner
School districts emphasize science, trades May 26, 2012 4- Students to pay, work for prank May 24, 2012
- Sandpoint High students vandalize school in senior prank May 23, 2012 7
- Spokane schools officials’ pay frozen May 15, 2012 18
- Redinger brings fresh direction, expectations to District 81 May 13, 2012 7
PlanB on February 26 at 11:25 a.m.
Great. The existing cameras have done nothing to improve safety, so let’s add more.
cowboy on February 26 at 11:30 a.m.
more money for the company in Arizona. Hard to believe someone in Washington doesn’t have a camera company.
I wonder who owns the cameras big brother put up at river front park? are we paying rent to a out of state company for those too?
jerrysw on February 26 at 11:36 a.m.
Pretty soon they will shorten the yellow light intervals when the cameras aren’t paying for themselves.
I don’t know what I would do without big brother, except maybe have better, affordable health insurance.
Albert on February 26 at 11:58 a.m.
Sorry good friends, but I must disagree. This is a great money generator - that’s true. However, as I drive around town I see “mommy on the cell phone” blatantly driving through the red light in her over-sized SUV and/or van with the kiddies in the back seats. I also see “junior” in his lowered noise bag doing the same. These folks need to slow down , pay attention, and I truly believe that these red light cameras are a great way to “get their attention”. The cameras provide jobs at the manufacturing/sales levels. They provide revenue to fix potholes without raising taxes. The folks who pay the bill are the very ones who break the law, cause accidents, and could care less about your insurance rates. I actually support MORE of these revenue raisers in town.
misjustice on February 26 at 12:23 p.m.
Simple enough to avoid the intersections that are monitored by these cameras, they are marked and advertised. Also simple to avoid a ticket, don’t run the light!
I do not support the cameras, as a matter of ideology I am against “big brother” types of law enforcement. But there is no denying the fact that the program has turned in a revenue generating stream; revenue that our cash strapped city needs in these economic hard times.
misjustice on February 26 at 12:28 p.m.
As for the cameras at Riverfront Park; it is my understanding that they are only activated when the police anticipate “trouble” such as the 4th of July, and the “anarchists” incident.
Teseract on February 26 at 1:17 p.m.
Considering the Spokesman Review’s own review of these cameras, I think this proves this is about the money not about public safety. More than one study has shown these caused more overall accidents than they prevent. One state has already banned these cameras completely.
I’m looking forward to when local teenagers find out they can “punk” people they don’t like by using a digital camera to take pictures of the license plate of a person they don’t like, then print it out on their color printers. Then all they have to do to ring up tons of fines for a person is tape it over their license plate and drive merrily through red light after red light. Then the person they don’t like gets tickets for hundreds of dollars in the mail as I’m sure they don’t bother cross referencing the infraction with the vehicle make and model in the photo, that would entail man hours that would cut into profits!
Even if the victim could challenge them in traffic court it still costs the person time and money and hassle. And even then there’s no guarantee that they’ll get the charges revoked.
Don’t think this could happen? It’s happened already in Montgomery County in Maryland, admittedly with speed cameras instead of red light cameras.
Dazzeetrader11 on February 26 at 1:46 p.m.
Albert…nothing to do with mom’s and cell phones. ..nothing to do with driving around and avoiding intersections either. It has EVERYTHING to do with money for the City and for the leasing group that talked the CIty into this mess. Nothing about safety which was the reason (so they said) these cams were put in.
The citizens have every right to have the City take them down.
Not effective in safety. Case closed. The money generated should revert to the citizens as it appears there are ill gotten gains by the City and the Arizona company.
The experiment failed. What to do about this should be left to the citizenry.
jbslicer1953 on February 26 at 1:57 p.m.
The folks at the City of Spokane should some of their new fined (sic) money and put in some signals with turn arrows. How about Hamilton/Sharp and Hamilton/Mission for starters?
IRun on February 26 at 2:18 p.m.
Its amazing how many people misunderstand how the red light cameras are being used for. Its sole purpose is to create safer intersections on some of the more major arterials in Spokane. I run and bike a lot in Spokane and have been hit or nearly hit a few times by people running red lights. I for one am in full support of the red lights since in my opinion it helps deter people from blasting through a red light which is illegal by the way. If you don’t like the fines then don’t run a red light. That simple.
As for “big brother” watching you it wouldn’t be needed to have the red light cameras if people knew how to obey the traffic laws in the first place. Since this isn’t the case and it would be way too expensive to post a police officer at every major intersection to patrol for red light runners then this is the simplest and least costly solution. It actually doesn’t cost the city anything. And remember people, read the full article before you state where where the money is going. The revenue that is brought in from the cameras is required by law to only be used for other traffic control projects thus making the city a safer place to drive, bike or run/walk while punishing those who break the law. And be glad you don’t live in Europe where they have a speed camera every few miles on the highway and on the corner every street corner. I lived there, I know.
As for putting a photo of your license plate to pretend you are someone else is just nonsense. If you weren’t aware, your license plate is a unique identifier to your vehicle. ie. make, model, year, and color. The car in the photo and the license plate wouldn’t match! Also, if you ever did get a ticket in the mail you can sign an affidavit that states you weren’t the driver of the vehicle. That simple!
Pat O'Leary on February 26 at 2:24 p.m.
The “anarchists” being the out of control cops. “Trouble” is what the cops label citizens attempting to excercise their rights in legitimate protest against war and authoritarianism.
MarleneFeist on February 26 at 2:42 p.m.
Just some information. In 2007, before the cameras were installed, the Spokane City Council determined that any revenue generated by the red-light camera program—after expenses are paid—would go to traffic-calming measures. The money does not go into the City’s General Fund to pay for other services.
On Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, the City Council revised their resolution to further clarify their intent. The resolution passed this Monday says:
1. First, funding shall be allocated annually to pay for the Police and Public Works & Utilities departments’ direct costs associated with administering the automated traffic camera program;
2. Second, $150,000 shall be allocated annually to provide matching funds to neighborhood traffic calming measures consistent with resolution No. 07-04.
3. Third, $100,000 shall be allocated annually to a traffic-calming amenities funds to be used for traffic calmining-related projects associated with either the 10-Year Street Bond projects or the City’s six-year capital street plan.
4. Funds allocated to the traffic calming matching funds pursuant to Resolution No. 07-04 but not expended during a budget year shall be carried over to the traffic calming amenities fund, which shall not exceed a total of $300,000.
5. All remaining revenue shall be allocated for the purpose of providing enhanced traffic safety signage and pedestrian safety around schools in coordination with Spokane School District 81.
Thanks.
Marlene Feist
Public Affairs Officer
City of Spokane
Shylock13 on February 26 at 3:01 p.m.
I would rather be rear-ended (and have been) stopping for a yellow light, than be broadsided when I start off on green and someone runs the red (that also happened to me but the individual ran a stop sign instead of a red light). To me, that is the safety issue—not the number of accidents, but the severity of accidents.
The job of law enforcement is to protect and defend the public. If no one ran a red light, then no one would get a ticket and, better, no one would be broadsided! Then there would be no need for the cameras.
Law enforcement is to a city what national defense is to the country. The red light cameras seem somewhat the same as drone reconnaissance aircraft—a means of protection and identification.
All that said, I, too, am getting nervous about “the Big Brother” factor, which seems to infuse government at all levels and within the two major political parties. But I will reserve my outrage for such suggestions (already made) as: a national identification card loaded with personal information including DNA; a governmental agency determining what physician I can see or what treatments I can get (I would, however, welcome a national prescription plan that would permit the federal government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies); or further restrictions on “the right of the people to keep and bear arms”—particularly the bearing of arms.
Hank_Tingler on February 26 at 3:32 p.m.
Feist…has been drinking way too much of that wine from the winery she owns.
The SPD and City Clowncil should have waited till the class action suits have been settled.
Teseract is correct in the pranks. I would rather suggest taking pictures of Fullers Cop Car license plate and use that one to fool the cameras. How about someone taking pictures of Tuckers car? well his defense would be his bar tab at the GLobe or the 19th hole.
So how many coppers been caught running the red lights. Of course the law doesn’t apply to them.
cowboy on February 26 at 7:43 p.m.
Look at the figures Marlene Feist Public Affairs Officer
from City of Spokane gave in the above post, knowing $419 thousand was made last year and Spokane city profit was only 103 thousand dollars.
Look at the figures they plan on using. They have a solid 350 thousand allocated already,annually. That means they need to bring in 1.4 million dollars in tickets, annually.
I think our lights in the near future will be two colors red and green.
Verbal on February 26 at 8:45 p.m.
the vast majority of the “red light runners” they’ve caught are people taking “rolling rights” - not too many accidents caused by those. Against the law? Yup. Is that worth $125 fine? Nope.
Shameless money grab by the city. Great leaders we have running things, no?
westerly on February 26 at 9:03 p.m.
Yup..bet 80 percent of red light runners are rolling to take the right turns! Of course Fuller doesen’t have the guts to publish the details of every red light infraction!
cowboy on February 27 at 8:28 a.m.
I suggest since the citizens have to be watched. maybe we should start writing down the car number if police cars that make rolling stops.
I think it is time to get a citizen squad implemented that bring the wrong doings of our public servants to the city council. On a consistent basis.
I have never ran a red light so do not fear getting a ticket but I am against big brother watching my every move, when i cant watch his every move.
Teseract on February 27 at 1:32 p.m.
To IRun: I have no doubt as long as the make/model didn’t match you could have the ticket thrown out — after spending an entire day in traffic court and probably having to subpoena a high quality image of the infraction. At that point those of us who work for a living are already losing money by taking a day off of work. And it’s not like they only made one purple Dodge Caravan, or one black Chevy Suburban is it? If the make and model matches, you’re likely $500-$600 for a decent traffic lawyer to fight it. My understanding (correct me if I’m wrong) is that these fines go against the vehicle (like a parking ticket); who is driving is irrelevant to the fine. This to me alone smacks of being presumed guilty until proven innocent, but I digress.
I neglected to mention another safety issue - the flash on these cameras. I was approaching one of the monitored intersections one night and someone missed the yellow by less than a second. Wow, I can tell you I saw nothing but white spots from the intensity of the flash for 3-4 seconds.
So I must ask: What’s more dangerous, someone missing a yellow light by .7 seconds or all the drivers of oncoming traffic being blinded for 3-4 seconds when the flash goes off WHILE someone is running the red light? Remember the flash has to be strong enough to illuminate a car in the dead of night, in the pouring rain/snow, to the point the camera can clearly capture the plate. This is no little disposable camera flash!