2008 Woodie Awards
Rear-end collisions increase, cameras stay
Maggie Kiely
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News
Red light cameras in Lubbock will continue to operate, despite a quarterly report released Tuesday by city officials that showed an increase in accidents at intersections monitored by the system.
According to the report released by the City of Lubbock Traffic Engineering Department, when comparing July, August and September statistics from 2006 and 2007, intersections with red light cameras showed an increase in total collisions of 33 percent, with rear-end collisions increasing by about 50 percent.
The report indicates that during the same time frame, the total number of vehicle accidents at all intersections decreased by about 5 percent.
There are 12 locations for the red light cameras in the city, including three near the Tech campus: Indiana Avenue and 19th Street, University Avenue and 19th Street, and Frankford Avenue and 19th Street.
The cameras were put up in June and were made fully active in July.
It is too soon to judge the success of the red light camera program, said Marsha Reed, director of Public Works.
"The council has asked us to come back in a year," she said. "After that year, we will come back and make a recommendation to continue the program or not to continue the program."
Todd Klein, city councilman for District 3, said he was one of two dissenting votes when the city council voted on the red light camera issue Â- a decision he still stands by.
"It wasn't simply that I opposed the red light cameras, I thought there was a need for greater enforcement," he said, "but I thought there was a better way to do it."
In addition to more law enforcement at intersections, Klein said he suggested extending the time a light is yellow.
He said he believes public safety was not the only incentive city officials had to approve the cameras.
"There is a concern that the way it is structured it is a revenue mechanism," he said. "At one point the city manager basically put a hiring freeze on police officers until the red light camera issue was resolved."
According to the report released by the City of Lubbock Traffic Engineering Department, when comparing July, August and September statistics from 2006 and 2007, intersections with red light cameras showed an increase in total collisions of 33 percent, with rear-end collisions increasing by about 50 percent.
The report indicates that during the same time frame, the total number of vehicle accidents at all intersections decreased by about 5 percent.
There are 12 locations for the red light cameras in the city, including three near the Tech campus: Indiana Avenue and 19th Street, University Avenue and 19th Street, and Frankford Avenue and 19th Street.
The cameras were put up in June and were made fully active in July.
It is too soon to judge the success of the red light camera program, said Marsha Reed, director of Public Works.
"The council has asked us to come back in a year," she said. "After that year, we will come back and make a recommendation to continue the program or not to continue the program."
Todd Klein, city councilman for District 3, said he was one of two dissenting votes when the city council voted on the red light camera issue Â- a decision he still stands by.
"It wasn't simply that I opposed the red light cameras, I thought there was a need for greater enforcement," he said, "but I thought there was a better way to do it."
In addition to more law enforcement at intersections, Klein said he suggested extending the time a light is yellow.
He said he believes public safety was not the only incentive city officials had to approve the cameras.
"There is a concern that the way it is structured it is a revenue mechanism," he said. "At one point the city manager basically put a hiring freeze on police officers until the red light camera issue was resolved."
Disclaimer:
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of The Daily Toreador, the department of Student Media or Texas Tech University. Student editors have the authority to make all online content decisions without censorship or advance approval and are solely responsible for the content of this Web site. None of the opinions expressed on this page are previewed by any university official. Any postings, SPAM or otherwise, considered by the editorial staff to be campaign endorsements for political candidates other than opinions of users attached to articles pertaining to election issues will be deleted immediately.
View the online policy here.
To report questionable content, send an email to dtonlineeditor@gmail.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 8
chris
posted 10/16/07 @ 9:34 PM CST
Anyone with a small % of functioning brain power can tell you this is about economics and cash revenue.. not preventing crashes or making the roads safer. (Continued…)
david
posted 10/17/07 @ 2:55 AM CST
I think the next person who rearends someone who stops because of a camera should sue the city. They are going to argue about the stats until they come out in favor of the cameras. (Continued…)
Will
posted 10/17/07 @ 8:40 AM CST
Like Floyd Price says in the article, people will not change until you start getting into their pocket. Well, I have to agree with David, everyone that gets rear ended from this point forward should sue the hell out of the city. (Continued…)
John
posted 10/17/07 @ 10:17 AM CST
The same system is up in Houston. The cameras create a tremendous amount of revenue. If the city is claiming that installing the lights is not about revenue they are either lying, or just uneducated. (Continued…)
Dr. James Surles
posted 10/17/07 @ 10:35 AM CST
While not visible online, the graph accompanying the print version of this story indicates there were 93 total crashes at red light camera intersections in 2006, and 140 in 2007. (Continued…)
I smell a conspiracy
posted 10/17/07 @ 11:07 AM CST
Quote by Price: "In order to slow things down, you've got to get in their pocket," he said. "I would love to see (red-light cameras) stay here forever, and I would like to see one on every corner. (Continued…)
JA
posted 10/17/07 @ 11:30 AM CST
Floyd Price was also the one who in a recent news interview regarding the cameras said something to the effect of "I have already noticed a big change in the attitudes of the drivers around Lubbock. (Continued…)
The City is Evil!
posted 10/17/07 @ 12:14 PM CST
Wow...these are some very compelling, well thought-out arguments. You should all run for city council!
Post a Comment