Red Light Running in Tallahassee

Public Policy Group 8

The Problem of Red Light Running• Crashes at intersections• 40% of all vehicle crashes occur at these intersections• Estimated 260,000 crashes due to running red lights

annually in US• NHTSA shows more than 8,500 intersection-related auto

accident fatalities occurred in 2011• 2.3 million drivers in 18 states ran red lights in 2011

• Dangerous, safety threat • In Tallahassee: Red Light Cameras

Policy Options:• A: Status Quo: keep cameras• B: Remove cameras, increase policing• C: Remove cameras, increase street markings• D: Remove cameras, lengthen yellow light signal time

Option A: Status Quo (Red Light Traffic Cameras)• Ready. Set. Stop! Program• First implemented in June 2010• Company in charge of maintaining and running cameras:

Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), a division of Xerox Corporation• Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) then reviews

potential violations• Violations begin at $158 fine• 7 main intersections, 19 cameras

• *Source: www.talgov.com

Average Violations Per Month/Per Year: Tennessee and Monroe IntersectionCamera Month of

ActivationAvg# of

violations

2010 2011 2012Tennessee EB 8/2010 307 93 49

Monroe NB 11/2010 213 191 129

Monroe SB 11/2010 122 96 66

*Source: Tallahassee City Auditor: 09/28/2012 “Red Light Camera Program”

Benefits:

Costs:• Might cause increased rate of rear-end accidents• Review process is time consuming• Ticketing process is indiscriminate, subject to error• Error rate ~12%

• Overall inefficient

• *Source: Tallahassee City Auditor: 09/28/2012 “Red Light Camera Program”

• *Source: Tallahassee City Auditor: 09/28/2012 “Red Light Camera Program”

Costs:• Revenues have failed to meet city’s budgetary

expectations • Expected: ~$2.8 million• Currently: ~$1.9 million

• Total expenses of maintaining cameras: ~$1.2 million • Monthly payments of $4,650 (first 12 cameras)• $4,475 (for any additional cameras)

• Net revenue comes to $692,726

Removal of Cameras

• Cancellation of contract with ACS• Fee of cancellation: $100,000, in addition to any unpaid

balances

Option B: Increase policing

• Removal of cameras• City of Tallahassee Police Special Operations Division• Traffic Enforcement Unit

• Currently: 4 Traffic Cops• Hire 3 additional cops• Total: 7 main intersections with cameras• 7 Traffic cops to replace cameras and patrol intersections

• More presence at intersections• Reduce likelihood of running the red

Costs/Benefits

Pros: • Mere presence of officers is incentive to be more

cautious• Less likely to take risk of running red light • Reduces mechanical errorsCons: • Expenses of paying additional police officers• Police Salary – Annual Salary Range: $41,686 - $70,695• Annual Cost of hiring 3 new officers: $125,060 at base

pay rate

Option C: Increase street markings• Removal of cameras• Improve street markings and signage of approaching

intersection• Repaint existing worn down street markings• Add reflective glass beads for night time visibility• Add raised LED reflectors

• Make drivers more aware of approaching intersection

Costs/BenefitsPros:• Involves no change to current infrastructure • Technically feasible• Increases visibility and warning of upcoming intersection• Cost-Benefit Analysis of $1 of cost translating into $60 of

benefits (*US Federal Highway Administration) efficient• Paint and repair relatively cheapCons:• Cannot predict cost of road closures and human hours

involved• Not as drastic a measure - may lack effectiveness

Option D: Lengthen yellow light signal time (*Recommended)• Removal of cameras• Florida Department of Transportation, Traffic Engineering

Manual – standard minimum yellow light interval• Sec. 3.6.2: gives local authority to lengthen as they see fit• Current recommendation: 3-6 seconds• Increase in Tallahassee to 4-6 seconds• City of Tallahassee Public Works Department• Traffic Mobility Unit

Costs/BenefitsPros:• Cost efficient once implemented• Speculated ~$300,000 in local costs to change yellow

lights• Much less than the $431,700 per year for the cameras• Also: no monthly fee

• Involves no change to current policy on books• Found very effective in other locations

Goeller Scorecard

• ***It is important to note that the numbers presented in the Goeller Scorecard, though backed by official data, are purely ordinal. The technical feasibility of maintaining the status quo, i.e. doing nothing, is logically very high (5). In contrast, the current system results in a majority of actuations (red light camera snapshots) being dismissed before they are even sent to the Tallahassee Police Department for review; understandably, the status quo is very inefficient (1).

Recommended Policy:

Option D: Lengthen yellow light signal time• Technically feasible • Efficient• No problem of wasted time that exists with red light

camera review process

Steps to be taken

• ACS technicians need to take down the cameras• Significant engineering improvements by the Tallahassee

Public Works Department to increase the yellow light interval

What Laws Need to be Passed

• Introduce municipal legislation that would require the yellow light clearance interval to be no less than 4 seconds but no greater than 6 seconds

Yellow Light Interval

Institute of Transportation Engineer’s Traffic Engineering Handbook Equation 3.6-1.• 40 MPH Speed Limit• 2 Laneswidth (24 feet) and a pedestrian crosswalk (6 feet)• Decelerating 12 ft/sec• 0% grade• 20 foot vehicle• acceleration due to gravity = 32.2 feet/sec^2