Red light cameras catch more than 200 violators

Violations have been ticketed for a month.

By Rachel Allred

Published Oct. 9, 2009

The one-month anniversary of red light camera enforcement at two intersections in Columbia was reached Oct 4.

The new cameras were installed in August at the northbound lane of the Stadium Boulevard and Worley Street intersection and also at the northbound lane of the Broadway and Providence Road intersection. After the installation, a 30-day grace period allowed drivers to adjust to the cameras. On Sept. 4, violators began being cited.

Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Jessie Haden said in the past month the cameras reported 1,138 violations, but some of the reports were invalid. In some instances the cameras were triggered by something other than a car illegally crossing an intersection. Other reports were rejected due to unclear photos of the driver or vehicle.

Of the 1,138 initial reports, 237 were deemed clear violations and cited.

Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine said the cameras have increased the number of red-light violators police are able to catch.

"In the first month we've seen more violations than the total number of violations we saw city wide in a fiscal year," St. Romaine said. "It's really shown that we need to get them up and running."

City of Columbia spokeswoman Toni Messina said the cameras provide police officers a way to effectively monitor traffic.

"The city doesn't have enough resources to put officers at every intersection," Messina said. "The cameras give law enforcement another set of eyes."

Haden said Gatso USA, the company that runs the cameras and first views the violation reports, is working well with the police department.

"We're pretty happy with how prudent the company is being," Haden said.

Since the initial use of the cameras, modifications have been made to make them more accommodating. St. Romaine said changes will continue to be made as needed.

"Over the last 30 days, Gatso has made several improvements," St. Romaine said. "We have the best technology available right now."

Haden said one of the things that might be improved is the clarity of the images. If the picture of the car or driver is made unclear by sun glare or other circumstances, the report is rejected.

"They're obviously running a red light, but we're not able to make a good case because we aren't able to identify them," Haden said. "That's one of the things we'll look to improve."

Installation of 14 more cameras is expected in the future. St. Romaine said they are taking a slower approach instead of installing several cameras at once.

"We made the decision to phase in the cameras to make sure the technology is working," St. Romaine said.

Messina said the main purpose of the installations is to improve safety.

"Above and beyond, this is a safety measure," Messina said. "One red light incident that results in hurting someone can really change a person's world. These are preventable accidents."

The effectiveness of the cameras will be more measurable after they've been in place longer, Haden said.

"It's very fluid right now, and it will be for a long time," Haden said. "There's a lot that we're waiting to see."