AURORA | Aurora will likely keep its controversial photo red light and photo radar cameras for another two years.
The Aurora City Council is moving forward with a plan to renew a two-year agreement with Xerox, the company which administers the photo red light system, once the current contract expires next June.
According to city documents, crashes at intersections with the cameras decreased by 26 percent from 2010 to 2012. That data also showed that out of 141 recorded crashes, injuries had decreased by 33 percent at the intersections.
Aurora Police Division Chief Rob McGregor said the cameras have helped police solve an attempted homicide in Aurora as well as a hit-and-run crash where police were able to identify the at-fault vehicle.
“I’m less anxious to see them go away based on the data,” said City Councilman Bob LeGare, who sits on the city’s public safety committee. “In my mind, it showed they’re reducing serious accidents at the red light intersections.”
Aurora has photo red-light cameras at 14 intersections, but the state Legislature could vote to end the program next year. Last year, the Legislature nearly passed a bill banning the cameras, but instead backed off that idea in favor of studying the controversial systems. That study is being conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation. CDOT did not respond by press time to say when the study would be completed.
City Councilwoman Renie Peterson said she thinks it’s foolish for the city to even have this 2-year contract with Xerox given that the cameras could be potentially banned by state lawmakers. Peterson said at the meeting that the red light program was an unfair substitute for taxes that should be used to fund Aurora police programs and some social service agencies in the city. In 2016, the city anticipates generating $1.3 million from the program.
“We need to start limiting the amount of funding that’s going out of the red light program so we can take it away piece by piece,” she said at a study session Sept. 22.
Aurora City Manager Skip Noe said the city would negotiate with Xerox if a bill was passed by the Legislature next year banning the cameras.
In 2013 the program issued 61,283 tickets. That accounted for 26 percent of the total possible violations recorded by the cameras. Many of the citations were dismissed when the owner proved they were not the pictured driver.
“The details are too squirrelly for me,” said City Councilwoman Marsha Berzins, whose ward contains 10 of the 14 cameras. “Out of all the thousands of possible tickets, only a small percentage are even able to sent.”
I would love to see citizens of Aurora vote on banning or keeping these.
I support the red light cameras and believe we should have more. I, for one, have changed my driving habits and rarely attempt to run a red light. When I am in a big hurry and run the light, I recognize the stupidity of my move and hope that I wasn’t caught. It doesn’t happen often, but I have to admit it does happen. If I get caught, I deserve it. Slow down stupid – what’s the hurry I say to myself. People take a big risk to themselves, their loved ones in the car and to other innocent people on the road. Keep the cameras! They work.
Isn’t it wonderful that Aurora’s City Council give the official okeydokey to extend the PRL program for another two years in a study session; a forum in which the voters have no voice. And they apparently approved the extension based on the flawed accident data provided by the Aurora Police Department.
The Police Department says that crashes at the intersections with the cameras decerased by 26% from 2010 to 2012. This information appears to be impressive but the the Police Depatment does not tell you that the 2010 base line includes data that was developed from a procedure that may have actually incereased crashes in the base year.
Nevertheless, The Police Department indulged in a most glaring omission. Crashes at the the intersections with the cameras actually increased
by 7.5% from 2011 to 2012.
But never mind the facts, the PRL Program is in place only because of “public safety” the revenue has nothing to do with the program. It seems that this sentiment is based on the false premise that all crashes can be prevented with the PRL Program.
Did you ever wonder, if in fact the sole purpose of the PRL Program is to promote public safety, why aren’t tree photo red light cameras at every major intersection in the City of Aurora. Or is this just one more example of the farcical concept of public input at Formal Council Meetings after Council has made their descision at Study Session?
Now we know who supports the surveillance society. Thanks Bob!
Now we know which Division Chief is kissing up to Council too. Guess when you apply for the now open Chief job, you learn to love the taste of ole LeGare and Clelands rears. 😉