Graham Bosch
The quest for increased traffic safety on Phoenix streets took a hit last week when the Phoenix City Council opted to end its contract with the city鈥檚 intersection camera technology provider.
A to extend the contract with Glendale-based Redflex Traffic Systems for $800,000 failed by a 4-5 vote Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Arizona has the highest rate of red light running fatalities in the United States, by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The foundation was established by the American Automobile Association in 1947 as a charitable research organization with a mission to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by researching their causes and preventive strategies.
鈥淒eaths caused by red light running are on the rise,鈥� said Jessica Cicchino, vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in a earlier this year. 鈥淐ameras increase the odds that violators will get caught, and well-publicized camera programs discourage would-be violators from taking those odds. Camera enforcement is a proven way to reduce red light running and save lives.鈥�
Barb Hoffman, executive director of the , said her group was disappointed with the Council鈥檚 vote.
鈥淔rom research that we鈥檝e seen, red-light-running cameras do reduce the amount of deadly crashes in intersections,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e do support the camera technology; we think it does save lives.鈥�
Hoffman, who joined the Alliance in 2004 after her 14-year-old son Michael was killed by a red-light-runner in Mesa, said the Council is listening to a vocal minority that opposes the technology.聽
鈥淚 think what happens a lot of the times is the people that are not law-abiding citizens, who run red lights and get their picture taken, are the most vocal because they鈥檙e angry they got caught,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey should realize they鈥檙e lucky they got caught doing that and not killing somebody. I have no patience for the people that complain to me about getting a ticket.鈥�
Councilman Sal DiCiccio he voted against the proposal because he considers it a 鈥渃ontinuous money grab鈥� alongside other municipal services that have recently increased in price, including garbage removal and ride-share trips to the airport.
鈥淭here wouldn鈥檛 be any 鈥榤oney grab鈥� if nobody ran red lights,鈥� Hoffman said. 鈥淚f your picture鈥檚 not taken in the middle of the intersection, you鈥檙e not going to get a ticket in the mail, [and] you don鈥檛 have to pay a penny.鈥�
The Associated Press that Councilman Michael Nowakowski said he voted against the extension because he was never provided with information on the extension that he had requested months before.
The City of Phoenix currently has stationary red-light cameras at 12 Valley intersections and a number of mobile speed enforcement units that can be placed in school zones and other closely watched areas, according to the AP.
Noemi Santaella
Danny Seiden
I believe the cameras save lives especially if it is posted that a camera is at an intersection.
I myself have been caught speeding on camera way out in a rural area near Prescott, AZ a few years ago. I went to traffic school and I learned a couple of things from it. I never speed anymore and I am very fearful at intersections, you never know who’ll run a red light!