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Georgia: Another Red Light Camera Program Bites The Dust

Another Georgia red light camera program has fallen thanks to a state-mandated extension in the duration of the yellow warning period at monitored intersections.

Members of the Dalton City Council yesterday voted unanimously to cancel its contract with the UK-owned photo ticketing firm LaserCraft Inc. which has been operating the traffic cameras on a month-to-month basis since May.

"Thus far it appears the increase in yellow time has resulted in a significant decrease in violations," Dalton Police Chief Jason Parker told the city council yesterday.

The program issued a total of 6,487 tickets worth $454,090 in 2008, but the rules changed in January when a law originally introduced by state Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-Cassville) mandated the addition of one second to the yellow warning at any intersections where cameras were installed (view law).

Data obtained by TheNewspaper show that this change yielded immediate results at the intersections of Highway 41 and Shugart Road and at Thornton Avenue and Waugh Street.

In 2008, LaserCraft issued an average of 639 citations each month at these locations before the extra second was added. After the change was made, the company was only able to issue 200 tickets (view chart).

Even these figures mask the real impact. At Shugart Road, the drop in citations was 73 percent, primarily representing straight-through violations.

At Waugh, violations dropped only 43 percent but Mayor David Pennington explained that this was because two-thirds of the tickets issued at the intersection were actually for rolling right-hand turns on red, a highly technical violation that rarely causes accidents.

After reviewing the results, Councilman Charlie Bethel urged staff to ensure the Georgia Department of Transportation would maintain the extended yellow timing once the cameras were removed.

"Maybe for once our state elected officials were very wise in passing this bill," Councilman Denise Wood added.

Use of the cameras produced no measurable reductions in accidents, according to city officials. The drop in violations, however, meant that the program would have turned into a significant money-loser had it continued to operate.

The Impact of Longer Yellow Times in Georgia;*

City/Violation Drop
Dalton/73%
Duluth/67%
Lilburn/80%
Norcross/80%
Rome/78%
Snellville/unavailable
Suwanee/81%

*Courtesy of thenewspaper.com

Faced with the same situation, the cities of Decatur, Duluth, Lilburn, Norcross, Rome, Snellville and Suwanee have also taken steps to end photo enforcement in the aftermath of the new signal timing law.

Dalton began photo ticketing in 2005 after being sold on the program by Jay Morris Specter, 53, who at the time was a regional director for an Australian red light camera firm.

Specter was convicted of fraud in 2007 and is currently imprisoned at the Edgefield Federal Correctional Institution in South Carolina.

Source

The Guru's Views

There is no doubt anymore that there is a direct and distinct correlation between the length of Amber Times and Ticket Numbers. The more you take away on an Amber, the higher the tickets. This has recently been noticed in Winnipeg where photographic proof of an Amber at 3.9 seconds instead of the 4.0 seconds set out by the City's Signal Engineer.

**WPS Photo Tickets Issued**
Year	Total Photo Tickets
2008	168,173
2007	136,657
2006	90,321
2005	117,064
2004	137,962
2003	179,242

Trafficticketuru.com reviewed the City's Camera stats, and even though most cameras are only updated to October 2008, there were 11 intersections that for the last two years have been steadily been increasing in ticket numbers. One was the intersection where the amber was found to be 3.9 seconds.

It appears this tactic and the aggressive enforcement of construction zones when no workers are present have pulled Winnipeg out of Slumping tickets number that by 2006 had dropped as low as 90,321.

So why with such great results in other jurisdictions are more Cities, Provinces, States taking notice and at least experimenting with a longer Amber?

Some contracts with Camera Companies prohibit the amber time being lengthened.

In Winnipeg we all ready know the Reason Why!

Taken from the Winnipeg Free Press Article
by Bruce Owen,October 30, 2001.

Winnipeg Police Service
Traffic Patrol Sgt. Jon Butcher,
who's Leading the WPS's efforts,
to install Red Light and
Photo Radar Cameras,
said Adjusting Amber Lights Would
Ruin the Photo Enforcement Program.

Former Sgt. Butcher is Now
Head of Sales for the Camera Company.

The Cash Grab needs to stop, it is doing nothing but making intersections more dangerous and making it's citizens more angry.

Mayor Katz and Premier Doer, do the right thing and stop this!

Slow Down, Drive Safe and Keep your money in Your Pocket.

Larry Stefanuik
trafficticketguru.com

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