Austin may soon become the 35th Texas city to use cameras to catch individuals running red lights, said David Gerard of the City of Austin's Department of Public Works.
Gerard said a pilot plan will install two red light cameras in the city. One is expected to be located at the Riverside Drive and Pleasant Valley Road intersection, but the second one is unconfirmed, he said.
"We are currently reviewing proposals from two vendors," Gerard said. "The pilots will begin probably around the middle of May."
Citations will not be issued during the 30-to-60-day pilot program, but the department will be monitoring the cameras to make sure they record violations correctly, he said. If the cameras work correctly and vehicles can be identified, the department will offer recommendations to the Austin City Council after the pilot program is over. If the council approves expanding the program, more cameras will be added in fall 2007, and citations will be issued, he said.
"The whole intent behind a red light photo-enforcement system is to reduce red light violations to improve the safety of our intersections," Gerard said.
Gerard said red light cameras decrease the number of front-side crashes that can occur when running red lights.
Car crashes involving red light-running killed more than 800 people and injured 165,000 in 2005, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Red light cameras are effective in reducing the number of traffic violations and the number of crashes they cause, according to the institute.
Texas has the second highest rate of red light fatalities behind California, said Chris Galm, a spokesperson for The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running. In 2005, Texas recorded 78 deaths from red light crashes, he said.
In El Paso, where red light cameras were introduced in October 2006, the number of accidents where the contributing factor was running a red light have decreased by 83 percent, said Sergeant Jack Matthews with the El Paso Police Department.
Although the city has not estimated the costs of the red light camera system, cameras are capable of paying themselves off through citations. However, once drivers become familiar with the cameras and fewer violations occur, the city will not make any profit from the cameras, she said.
Two separate bills, both by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, relating to red light cameras passed a Senate vote April 3 before passing to the House. The bills require that cities with red light cameras meet specific conditions and that citations are limited to $75 to be evenly distributed between the city and the state.
Red light cameras are important for increasing the safety of Austin intersections, said Sergeant Jim Beck, president of the Austin Police Association.
"There are concerns with traffic and safety on the roadways," he said. "Whatever we can do to improve public safety is worth a try."
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