Waco City Council on Tuesday reaffirmed its support for red-light enforcement cameras, and city staffers said they would start shopping for vendors.

City officials want to install the cameras at several dangerous intersections around town, allowing police to catch red-light violators and send them tickets.

Police Chief Brent Stroman and traffic administrator Rick Charlton said the cameras work 24 hours a day and do the job more cheaply and safely than patrol officers.

City officials want to install the cameras at several dangerous intersections around town, allowing police to catch red-light violators and send them tickets.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

Council approved the camera proposal in February 2009, but it has been in limbo because of concerns that the state Legislature would ban the cameras.

City Manager Larry Groth said red-light camera systems have proved effective in other cities. He thinks the legislative threat has subsided.

Groth said city staff will search for a vendor to install and operate the system in exchange for a cut of the revenue.

Charlton said the total costs to install and operate cameras at intersections could be $15,000 a month.

Stroman said police department monitoring of problem intersections indicates there are enough potential tickets to pay for the program.

Under state law, the maximum fine is $75.

After subtracting the operational costs, half the net revenue must go to the state for regional trauma centers. The city’s half must be spent on traffic improvements.

In 2009, trauma centers such as Scott and White received $9.2 million from the program, but neither Waco hospital received funding, Charlton said.

Charlton cited studies in Texas and Iowa that indicate wrecks decrease significantly at intersections after cameras are installed. However, he said red-light cameras are controversial in some communities, including Lubbock and College Station, which have banned them.

Critics call it cash cow

Opponents say the systems are an invasion of privacy and serve as a cash cow for cities. Some say they distract drivers and make intersections more dangerous.

Councilman Randy Riggs said he knows the measure will be controversial, but he believes it will improve public safety. He questioned whether the program would be undermined by a state requirement that camera-equipped intersections be marked by signs.

Charlton said there’s some evidence that camera-equipped intersections have a “halo effect,” making motorists more observant at other intersections as well.

Councilman Jim Bush asked whether the red-light camera vendor could shorten the duration of the yellow light to cause more violations.

Charlton said the city controls the timing of the lights, basing it on national engineering standards, and that won’t change.

Councilwoman Toni Herbert said she had mixed feelings about the program. She said it sounds “really expensive,” but it could make a big difference in controlling red-light violations.

Groth said he expects the cameras to have a wider effect than just the intersections they control.

“The goal is to change driving habits,” he said. “I hope that in two or three years, the vendors will say, ‘We can’t keep these here because we’re not making any money,’ and move on.”

Mayor Virginia DuPuy added, “It would be nice if in two or three years we don’t need them anymore.”

Groth said preliminary numbers from a survey by Baylor University’s Center for Community Research and Development found that 68 percent of Waco residents agreed with the statement that red-light cameras are effective in preventing crashes.

Twenty-six percent disagreed, and 5 percent had no opinion.

“The community appears to feel like this is effective,” Groth said.

jbsmith@wacotrib.com

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