2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
7. 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
10. 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
11. Removal of Cameras
• Cancellation of contract with ACS
• Fee of cancellation: $100,000, in addition to any unpaid
balances
12. 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
13. Costs/Benefits
Pros:
• Mere presence of officers is incentive to be more
cautious
• Less likely to take risk of running red light
• Reduces mechanical errors
Cons:
• 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
14. 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
15. Costs/Benefits
Pros:
• 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 cheap
Cons:
• Cannot predict cost of road closures and human hours
involved
• Not as drastic a measure - may lack effectiveness
16. 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
17. Costs/Benefits
Pros:
• 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
18. 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).
19. 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
20. 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
21. 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
22. 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
Editor's Notes
Majority of Camera Actuations aren’t even forwarded to TPD for review - wasteful
