AURORA | State legislators are inching toward slamming the brakes on photo red light and photo radar tickets in Aurora and around the state — a move that has city lawmakers turning crimson themselves.
In a 3-2 vote April 14, the Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee moved forward a measure that would ban the cameras statewide. The ban — which has the support of Republican and Democrat leaders — is now set to go before the full Senate.
“A camera takes a picture, but it doesn’t tell the story,” said Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, a co-sponsor of the bill.
Renfroe said that while the devices have certainly racked up revenue for local governments, it is far less certain whether they actually make the roads any safer. He said some data points to fewer accidents, but other studies show the machines have little effect on safety.
“Our intersections should be about safety and not about
revenue,” he said.
In Aurora, where police have operated the cameras since 2005, the ban on photo red light tickets would likely mean the end to a program that brought in more than $1.5 million last year for local social service agencies.
Aurora City Councilwoman Barb Cleland, chairwoman of city council’s Public Safety Committee, said the cameras make the 14 intersections around the city where they are in use safer.
“I’m not thrilled when I get a red-light ticket, obviously,” Cleland said. “But people are much more cautious going through the intersection.”
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates testified at the state hearing that the cameras have lead to a 35-percent drop in accidents since city council expanded the program in 2010.
“Again and again I am told people have modified their behavior because of the presence of the cameras,” he said.
While the department’s data shows the devices have reduced accidents in recent years, that hasn’t always been the case in Aurora. In the first few years the devices were in use, police said they actually led to a massive spike in rear-end crashes, likely from drivers slamming on their brakes at the last-second to avoid getting a photo-red ticket. At East Mississippi Avenue and South Potomac Street, for example, rear-end crashes climbed 175 percent from 2005 to 2006.
Still, police said, rear-end crashes are far less dangerous that the T-bone style crashes caused by drivers barreling through a red light. Those crashes, according to Aurora police, are down. At Mississippi and South Chambers Road, for example, T-bone crashes are down about 25 percent since the devices were installed.
Renfroe and other backers of the ban pointed to other studies that show rear-end crashes in Denver are up about 25 percent since the cameras were installed.
There are other measures local governments can use to improve safety at intersections, Renfroe said, including making the yellow light a second longer, or having all the lights at an intersection sit red for an extra second.
Last year, Aurora police issued 61,000 photo red light tickets and 40,000 of those
violators paid their fine. Aurora police Lt. Jeff Turner, who oversees the
department’s traffic section, said the fines totaled about $3.4 million in revenue, but the bulk of that is used to pay for the costs of the program, which is funded solely by the
revenue it generates.
Turner said that the 61,000 tickets issues last year actually make up a small portion of the photos the machines take. The vendor who operates the system only sends about 25 percent of all the total “triggers” back to APD for the officers to consider for tickets, he said. Of those, APD only issues tickets about 75 percent of the time, and only after officers review the video footage and determine they would have written a ticket had they been in their patrol car and witnessed the infraction live, he said.
Unlike in other cities, Aurora police don’t issue tickets for drivers who merely roll a few extra inches into a crosswalk, Turner said.
“If that’s the case, we decline those, we do not send those out,” Turner said. “What we are looking for is someone who clearly ran the light when it was red.”
Cleland said that using the city’s devices in a less-strict way than other cities shows that lawmakers here have done a good job of tweaking the program to Aurora’s specific needs.
“I think we have listened to our constituents,” she said.
Aurora’s city council has voted to approve the devices several times since they were first instituted, including last summer when they approved the devices again on a 7-3 vote. Cleland said state lawmakers are intruding on city council’s
authority.
“It’s not up to them to decide what our ordinance should be,” she said.
Renfroe said transportation is a statewide issue and one where it’s appropriate for state lawmakers to weigh in. And, he said, cities regularly benefit from state-maintained roads in their jurisdiction. In Aurora, those roads include Havana Street and Interstate 225.
“Overall,” he said, “transportation is a statewide concern.”
Red Light Scameras and Photo Radar do not work. They are strictly there to make money. Aurora is trying to scare people by saying social program will be impacted. Then they release videos of people running red lights from the red light cameras themselves. This pretty much proves that the scameras don’t work. This needs to be banned at a state level to put an end to these private road pirates!
Red light cameras should be installed at all controlled intersections! These things save lives! Revenue is a secondary issue! Why do people feel “freedoms” include things that unnecessarily kill people?
Where is your unbiased proof. Every study shows different results.
Mr. Wagner,
In Florida, the rally cry circa 2010 was the death of Mark Wandall, whose name is on the law authorizing the camera scheme here. As a retired Florida trooper and traffic homicide investigator, I looked at that crash and a camera on a pole would not have prevented it. Had the yellow light (or all-red period) been longer by 1 second, he would not have died. Proper light timing can be proved mathematically to save lives. The camera scheme cannot.
One of our freedoms used to involve having the government (police) prove violations, something I did for over 23 years. The camera scheme turns that upside down under a smokescreen of safety so as to make money. I’m not aware of anyone that opposes the camera scheme advocating drivers run red lights.
Longer yellow lights have proven to reduce accidents significantly.
You cannot control stupid ppl who don’t know the danger of going through a red light….the poles CAM are nothing but revenue for OATES.
Our Cities are growing people are tired of slow cluttered traffic that’s their problem but getting popped for being that last car at the end because the traffic ahead is stopped by another street light ….you call that fair to that last car who tries despritely to get through from getting that fine…Flash. WAKE UP HIS OATES WAY OF WANTING REVENUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every city who has put cameras up to a city vote has had all cameras removed. Citizens are tired of big brother.
Cliff: are you a traffic engineer? Perhaps you can point to the city’s engineering studies that analyzed the safety problems where cameras are installed and recommended increased enforcement as the best solution? You can’t. Without knowing the cause of a safety problem, how do you expect to solve it?
You can’t. No one cares about safety because no one has defined the problem. You can’t fix design problems, light timing, or visibility issues with enforcement. This is about MONEY, not safety.
Ban the cams!
“Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates testified at the state hearing that the
cameras have lead to a 35-percent drop in accidents since city council
expanded the program in 2010.”
The “percentage game” is prevalent in any state that uses a camera scheme, and is a favorite of government lobbyists such as the chief. The question is how many red light violation (RLV) crashes took place for equal periods before and after use of the camera scheme? If the camera scheme really works for red light enforcement, then cities everywhere should be shouting the actual numbers of reductions.
They do not since they cannot. Any police officer that has worked traffic crashes for a length of time will discover as I did that two types of drivers cause these crashes, inattentive and impaired. No camera on a pole will magically awaken them or make them sober when they cannot see large red lights in their line of sight.
Thirty five-percent. Not the first time we’ve heard this number. It’s also applied to the decrease of crime in Aurora. Yeah….sure.
There was one day when the pole flash CAM … flashed and there was no vehicle going through a red light. I was shocked and disappointed at the same time.
Ashley, confirmed date is July 21st through the 28th at AMC –it’s going to be such a relief, lies, and personal attacking, proof that oates is… and was always wrong he just hates that officer who won 3x, so let’s assume it will be the 4th, and final. Oates is old, that officer is young and will remain that much longer of a good cop.
Read below from sassy on confirmed date…. ……
OMG… AND YOU BELIEVE OATES NUMBER OF 35 ! AURORA LIKE MANY OTHER CITIES ARE GROWING MUCH LARGER, THEREFORE WE HAVE MORE DRIVERS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CRASHES AT INTERSECTIONS AND PURE ITS STUPID DRIVERS THOSE OATES IS BANKING REVENUE MONEY ITS PLAN AND SIMPLE THOSE PHOTO CAMS CANT CONTROLL STUPID PPL DRIVERS. HE WANTS THIS REVENUE AND HOW CAN A FLASH PREVENT AN ACCIDENT? OATES WILL LIE THROUGHT HIS TEETH TO LOOK LIKE HE CARES.. ITS THE MONEY.
“At Mississippi and South Chambers Road, for example, T-bone crashes are down about 25 percent since the devices were installed.”
Another lie of omission using the “percentage game”. Most “T-bone” crashes are caused by failure to yield, not a red light violation (RLV). Why can’t these camera scheme users simply tell us how many RLV crashes took place before and after use of the scheme?
If Aurora Chief Dan Oates wasn’t so concerned about providing sanctuary and city services to illegals he wouldn’t need so much money.
One does have to wonder if the money from the Red Light Camera tickets actually went TO THE STATE whether Aurora would be so gung-ho about the cameras…
Don’t Pay The G..Da..m Things … If you don’t, pay they have to send out an officer to give you a citation. As soon as 51% (This Number Is A Guess) don’t pay, it becomes a revenue loser and they have to take them out!
““Again and again I am told people have modified their behavior because of the presence of the cameras,” he said.” Are you refering to the City of Aurora now spending 1.5 million extra each year?
Hey, isn’t the police chief whose officers illegally detained 25 citizens because they thought there might be a criminal nearby?
https://www.secretsofthefed.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Aurora-brutality.jpg
btw that is a 12 gauge shotgun pointed at the kid’s head.
Oates is former NYPD. All he understand is the police state and tyranny.
HE SHOULD BE FIRED.
Wrong topic. …thats next week news.
Ummm…. Hey dummies, it’s rather simple: don’t run red lights.
Not the point …dum dum.
Guys, you are doing the insurance industry a giant favor by installing these cameras. The extra tickets will also add extra costs for auto insurance, hitting the citizens twice. This is not the way to raise revenue.
ROGER YOU ARE SO CORRECT…PEOPLE READ THIS WE SUFFER BECAUSE OATES IS JUST A OATH BREAKER.
Here’s a bright idea for all the below conspiracy theorists:
DON’T RUN RED LIGHTS……
In fact, the cameras do work, for those that know where they are (just look around, they’re visible, and signs are posted). Because of them, I no longer try beating a yellow light at those intersections.
Try paying attention and stop running red lights.
You can’t fix STUPID. …its all revene.
Flash cams …don’t save lives and never will..
Revenue, that oates narassstically needs.
And no matter what you say government will abuse it…they always always always do.
How many complainers drive at the limits, and slow to approach intersection, and only enter if light still green? I see far too many who speed up approaching intersection and tailgate cars ahead. Observing all the small cars with front ends smashed to pavement (totaled) should tell you they are not observing 1/2 car length between vehicles for each 10 mph of speed. Should be full length with shorter cars. 28 Mar I saw 2 within half mile with front ends smashed and no other vehicle with rear end damage on Arapahoe Road and Jordan intersection. And same day, another one on curve at Mississippi and Abilene. What did they run under? Have no idea. But their cars are totaled and day is ruined.
This is all about revenue collection. This red light cameras are stupid ideas. The city of Aurora is ripping its citizen. They are bunch of greedy politician. Stop this red light cameras.
One more quick comment: How many saw video on television of the lady somewhere around Ft. Morgan who ran her car completely under the rear of a long, yellow school bus. She is in hospital, and bus driver, 3 children on bus injured. Was she texting, fixing her hair, what? Yellow school buses are hard to NOT SEE.
I have to agree and I am a female and i dont know how you could miss the big yellow bus. She had been doing everything but driving and paying attention. .right.
There was something wrong with the cameras in the corner of
Airport Road and Alameda Parkway.
As a 60 year old businessman from out of state who has not
had a ticket in last three decades, I drive very carefully, especially in a
strange town. Last week, about 8:00 PM on 7/24/2014, I stopped in front of the
traffic light on the north bound of the Airport Rd for a few minutes waiting
for it to turn green to go back to my hotel. When I entered the intersection,
there were a few flashes lit up. After driving for a few minutes, I kept
thinking that the flashes must not be from a red light camera since I did not
violate any traffic light. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me so I turned
around just to see what was there. Of course, there’s a traffic camera. I was
very mad since I knew that I had wait till the green light before I crossed the
intersection so I pulled into the post office at the corner of Airport Road and
Alameda Parkway and sat there just to watch the traffic.
Lo and behold, the camera flashed even there were no one run
the red light!
After watching the traffic for a while, I pulled out the Post
office parking lot on to Alameda Parkway. Now I had to turn left to get back on
the north bound of Airport Road to get back to my hotel. Knowing the camera is “pretty sensitive, I waited at the left turn signal after it turned green until the car
behind me started honking before I proceeded to the intersection?
Guess what? You are right….The flashes went off!!!
Now I’m sitting here wondering when the tickets will show up
from my rental car company. And according to what I was told by my friends, even if I successfully dispute the tickets, the car rental company still charges me “admin fees”….
What a load of crap!