County approves red light cameras

Albemarle County supervisors have given the green light to install cameras at major intersections to spot drivers running red lights.
Violators would be mailed a $50 fine as well as photo evidence of the violation.
“There’s a concern of accidents and violations at our intersections,” said Albemarle County Police Chief John F. Miller, adding that he anticipates the cameras will significantly decrease accidents. “We hope we save people from being involved in crashes and being hurt and turning their lives upside down.”

The Board of Supervisors backed the idea on Wednesday, identifying three intersections in which they say cameras are most needed: Rio Road and U.S. 29; Richmond Road and Stony Point Road; and Hydraulic Road and U.S. 29.
The $50 fine would not show up on a violator’s driving record, nor would the information be given to the violator’s car insurance company.
Drivers earn the fine by entering an intersection after a light turns red. Getting stuck in an intersection while the light is red, because there’s a traffic jam, wouldn’t cause someone to get a ticket.
Virginia law also requires localities to give drivers a half-second cushion — in which the driver could actually enter an intersection while there’s a red light — without being subject to the fine.
Only vehicles entering an intersection after the light has turned red are captured on film. The cameras are wired to traffic lights using sensors buried under the road. In addition to a video being taken of the offense, three still pictures would be taken, including a close-up shot of the vehicle’s license plate.

Smile for the ‘photo red’

At Wednesday’s public hearing, only a few residents voiced opinions about the traffic light signal monitoring system — also called “photo red systems.” There was a split between those who favored the cameras and those who opposed.
Some residents say they fear the cameras could actually cause more traffic accidents.
One resident, Edward Strauss, cited a Virginia Transportation Research Council report that shows localities with traffic light cameras saw an increase in rear-end crashes, based on crash data compiled between 1998 and 2004. The same report, however, showed a decrease in crashes from drivers running red lights.
Strauss said he believes the photo red systems are more about raising money for the county than improving safety.
“They ought to say what it is,” Strauss said after the board meeting. “They want more money.”
But county officials insist they want the cameras installed, saying they would improve safety, and not just be a way to raise revenue.
The camera systems are expected to cost the county about $4,500 a month, but officials expect the costs to be covered by the money raised from fines. Any extra money would go into the county’s general fund.

As for dealing with rear-end collisions — believed to be the result of drivers abruptly slamming on brakes to avoid fines at intersections with cameras — the county would put up signs about 500 feet away to warn people that they’re approaching a photo red-controlled intersection. The county also plans to implement a public awareness campaign.
One of the most dangerous intersections in the area is at Rio Road and U.S. 29.
“In three years, we’ve had 385 crashes in that intersection and 37 injuries,” Miller said, adding that it’s “almost impossible” for police to safely chase down traffic light violators through the busy intersection.
In 2008, the Albemarle County Police Department issued 94 traffic summonses for red light violations at the intersection of U.S. 29 and Rio Road, according to police statistics. Miller said a small percentage of traffic light violators at the intersection get caught.
Before a locality can be approved for a photo red system, state law requires police to do a traffic study. In a 12-hour period in June, 121 drivers disobeyed the traffic light at the intersection, Miller said.
Statewide, motorists driving through red lights caused more than 5,000 accidents in Virginia in 2004, resulting in 26 fatalities and more than 3,600 injuries, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
If VDOT gives the county permission to install the photo red systems, up to nine could be installed. Miller said the police department likely would recommend that the county first install a system at Rio Road and U.S. 29 as a pilot program.
Virginia Beach is the only jurisdiction in Virginia that has photo-red systems in place, although several other localities are in the process of installing them.
Virginia requires that localities notify every person accused of violating a traffic signal at least 60 business days before a court date, and a recording of the violation must be made available, according to county staff.
The suspect must also be given information about how to contest the fine, and the law enforcement agency has the burden of proving that it was actually the owner of a car who ran the traffic light, as opposed to someone who had borrowed the car.
It’s expected to take at least several months before the photo red systems are installed.

Empty land ordinance tightened

In other business, supervisors also made changes to the county’s water protection ordinance to tighten the time line on how long developers can leave graded land empty.
The changes include creating a nine-month time limit for covering denuded land with construction, pavement or vegetation. However, some changes were made to the county staff’s recommendations to give Albemarle some more flexibility in enforcing the new ordinance.