Students who have a tendency to run red lights around campus may need to ease up on the pedal, because 11 more red light cameras will be activated around Baton Rouge within the next two weeks.
Sarah Edel, Signal System engineer intern with the Department of Public Works, said there are 13 active cameras at seven intersections around Baton Rouge.
“On Thursday, eight more cameras at seven intersections will be activated,” Edel said. “We will also add three more on [Aug. 7].”
By Aug. 7 there will be a total of 24 cameras at various intersections in Baton Rouge; one of these cameras is at the intersection of Nicholson and Burbank drives, a spot University students frequently cross.
The Department of Public Works first implemented the system in February with the Sherwood Forest and Coursey Boulevard intersection. There have been 137 citations given here since its activation, according to the Department of Public Works records.
The records also show that while it was not the first implemented, the camera light at College Drive is responsible for the most tickets with more than 2,000 citations since it was activated in March.
Edel said the cameras are placed strategically based on the amount of right-angle crashes at certain intersections.
“I took crash data from the major intersections in the city and found which intersections had high numbers of right-angles crashes,” Edel said. “I also took a look at the rear-end crashes at those intersections, because along with decreasing right-angle crashes, there is a tendency to increase the amount of rear-end accidents in the first couple of months.”
Edel did say the amount of rear-end accidents will eventually level off.
“It’s an acceptable trade off because rear-end crashes are usually low speed and low injury, with low property damage,” Edel said. “[Right-angle crashes] are the worst type of crashes that happen at signalized intersections.”
Violators caught on tape are sent their ticket in the mail with a photograph of the citation occurring. A violator can review video of the citation if they feel they should not have been ticketed.
“It’s $117 for the first offense,” Edel said. “If you get a second or third violation in a 12-month period, the price goes up to $167.”
American Traffic Solutions Inc. is the contracted company providing service for the city. The contractor installs all equipment at no charge but keeps 35 percent of ticket revenue while the city keeps the remaining 65 percent.
Since activation in February, a total of 6,055 citations have been given in Baton Rouge for running red lights. This means that at a minimum of $117 per ticket, with 6,055 tickets given out, the citations brought in at least $70,000 in total revenue with at least $45,000 going to the city.
“The contractor has people who review the video clip to see if a violation actually takes place,” Edel said. “Then they send it to BRPD, who reviews each video clip, and they have final say on whether or not someone gets a ticket.”
While it seems these lights are bringing money to the city, some students are not sold on the idea.
“I have mixed feelings on it,” said Brendon Marsh, chemical physics senior. “I know it stops people from running red lights, but I know it causes accidents too with people slamming on their breaks.”
Brandon Webb, psychology senior, thinks the traffic lights are a good thing.
“Getting a ticket in the mail is kind of cheap, but if it helps cut down on accidents, it is a good thing,” Webb said.
—-Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected]