MORE CRASH, MORE CASH AT RED LIGHT CAMERA INTERSECTIONS

ALMOST $5 MILLION IN PISCATAWAY

By John Day, WatchDogWire

Piscataway’s red light camera program closed out March issuing more tickets than the township’s total population, while also nearing the $5-million mark in total fines issued. Those projections are based on an internal, township document obtained through New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

The internal document, titled “Township of Piscataway: Monthly Analysis of Red Light Camera,” chronicles by month the number of citations, revenue produced, and recipients of the cameras’ cash. In its first 27 months of operation, November 2011 through February 2014, Piscataway’s photo-ticketing program produced a total of 55,396 citations and $4,710,415 in ticket revenue.

Citation revenue from Piscataway’s red light cameras is divvied between several recipients. Through February 2014, Piscataway Township has received about 32% of the program’s total revenue, amounting to $1,527,146.  Same period earnings for Piscataway’s photo-ticket vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) was $2,153,908, 46% of the proceeds. The State of New Jersey and Middlesex County received 22% of the haul, at $637,054 and $392,811 respectively.

Crash Data Revealed

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Brick Township Ends Its Red Light Camera Program

Brick Mayor John Ducey

Citing accident statistics reporting an increase in accidents at the three red light camera intersections in his Township, Brick Mayor John Ducey announced this afternoon that he is not renewing American Traffic Solutions’s contract.

Brick’s red light camera program terminates effective February 18, 2014 and equipment is to be removed  by February 24.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, New Jersey’s most prominent opponent of the red light camera program was on hand to congratulate Ducey, the residents of Brick, and New Jersey motorists who drive in Brick.

“When I was running for Mayor, one of the most frequent sources of frustrations of the people I spoke to was the red light cameras.  I promised to review our red light camera program and remove them if that review didn’t convince me that they were making our roads safer,” said Mayor Ducey.  “I have kept that promise.  After conducting that review, I am not convinced that the benefit is safety and not revenue. At the end of the day, the statistics I was shown did not convince me that these cameras are making intersections safer.  The strongest argument for keeping the lights is for the revenue they generate and I feel strongly that government should not be balancing budgets through punitive measures,” As a result I am not renewing the red light camera contract which is effectively ending red light cameras in Brick Township.”

Ducey noted an increase in accidents at each of the three Brick intersections that have RCLs between 2012 and 2013, the 2013 data is not completely reported yet.

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O’Scanlon: Red Light Camera Corruption Warrants Investigations By Fishman, Wisniewski

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said today that he is asking U.S Attorney Paul Fishman to open criminal investigations into the municipal clients of Redflex Traffic Systems, an Arizona based red light camera company, due to legal claims by a former executive that the company routinely bribed municipal officials in 13 states, including New Jersey, in order to obtain the lucrative contracts to operate camera systems that issue summonses for red light infractions.

Additionally, O’Scanlon is writing to Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski to ask that the committee open an investigation into New Jersey’s red light camera program in light of the recent bribery allegations and scientific proof commissioned by O’Scanlon that red light cameras are a detriment to public safety that are rigged to cheat motorists.

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O’Scanlon Slams Red Light Camera Settlement. Encourages Federal Judge To Throw It Out.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon has been doggedly fighting for New Jersey motorists who have been getting ripped off red light cameras for months.  Yesterday, O’Scanlon issued a scathing statement opposing a proposed settlement in the class action law suit against American Traffic Solutions, the Arizona company that installs and operates the red light rip offs.

U.S. District Court Judge Peter Sheridan held a hearing on the proposed settlement that would refund an average of $6 to motorist who were ticketed $85-$140 by cameras that were not properly calibrated.

“We have unequivocal, documented proof that the standard used to set yellow light times didn’t abide by the law – resulting in a huge percentage of the tickets issued as a result of these cameras to be undeserved” said O’Scanlon. “We have equally irrefutable evidence that the supposed yellow-light-timing recertification process was a sham blatantly designed from the start to justify perpetuating the status quo – rather than treat motorists fairly under the law.”

“First NJ motorists were cheated by their own state government when the DOT implemented the pilot program and didn’t follow the law, then they were screwed again in the phony yellow light recertification fiasco. They continue to be screwed by the camera companies and the local governments which collude to steal from them.” said O’Scanlon. “This settlement sells them down the river one more time – and amounts to nothing more than a get-rich-quick scheme for the attorneys involved. The beleaguered motorists of NJ have been abandoned or outright attacked by their government at every level, and relentlessly victimized by the predatory camera companies. Hopefully Judge Sheridan will take a stand and NJ Motorists will be able to count on one branch of government willing to give them a small victory.”

Sheridan has yet to rule.

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O’Scanlon: Red Light Camera Industry’s Own Video Challenges Assertions – It’s About the Money, Not Safety

A video disseminated by American Traffic Solutions (“ATS”) depicts a series of crashes and near misses at intersections chosen to participate in New Jerseys five-year red-light camera pilot program. The mission of the five-year pilot program is to determine the effectiveness of the installation and utilization of traffic control signal monitoring systems. Under the program, a traffic control signal monitoring system utilizes cameras and vehicle sensors, which work in conjunction with a traffic control signal to produce images of vehicles disregarding a red signal and running a red light”. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon thinks the ATS video is proof positive of the resounding failure of the program.

“Red-light cameras are intended to deter drivers from running red lights, or so goes the argument from supporters of the cameras,” explained O’Scanlon (R Monmouth/Mercer). This video showed what I have always believed, red-light cameras do not stop people from running red lights because most drivers do not make a conscience decision to run a red light.

“Drivers who run red lights are distracted by a bad day at work, a sick child, or a bad nights sleep,” O’Scanlon continued. “No camera or fine, regardless of the amount, is going to change this. What really stops people from running red lights is the same thing that has stopped them for as long as cars have been on the road -the fear of serious injury or death!

“If one looks at the video objectively it is easy to see that virtually all of the incidents depict the situation I outline above. These people are not likely reckless scofflaws playing Russian roulette with their lives and those of others. These people simply weren’t aware they were going through a red light. Laws and fines won’t stop these momentary lapses in peoples’ awareness if fear of death hasn’t done so already” said O’Scanlon. “We need to increase safety as much as possible through sound engineering of intersections and proper light timing. This will give us a demonstrable increase in safety. Of course it will mean a lot less revenue for the towns currently participating in the demonstration project, but these are ill-gotten gains to begin with.”

New Jersey‘s red-light camera pilot program began in 2008, since then 25 municipalities have signed on to the program.

For More Information: http://www.app.com/videonetwork/1350739560001/NJ-Crashes-Captured-By-Red-Light-Cameras-12-28-11-

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