WOW,

 

How is it that city officials are disappointed that people are not running red lights. Ironic, red-light cameras are put in place to keep drivers from running traffic lights. However if they do stop drivers from running red lights then the system would not be profitable. So the moral of the story is please help your city officials by running red-lights. Without drivers running red lights they cant raise revenue to pay for the system. It’s not about safety it’s all about revenue.

 

"I guess in theory you have 47,499 law-abiding citizens," said Monahan. "That doesn't sound right."

 

 

 

02/24/06
County to Study Disappointing Red Light Cameras

The red light cameras at one of Chatham County's busiest and perhaps most dangerous intersections aren't doing any good. The cameras are at Georgia Highway 204 and King George Boulevard. They went up the end of last year and they've been a problem ever since.

They are just not taking good pictures of the people who run the light. The county throws away about 80 percent of the citations.

"No improvement whatsoever," said assistant Chatham County manger Pat Monahan. A month ago, he asked Nestor, the company which installed the cameras, to fix them.

Nestor says it did. And they are catching on camera a whopping one red light violator a day. That's out of 47,500 motorists who pass through that intersection every day.

"I guess in theory you have 47,499 law-abiding citizens," said Monahan. "That doesn't sound right."

And that doesn't sound right to people who drive through this light. We spotted at least five red light runners during our half-hour visit to this intersection today.

"The county plans an independent field review at that intersection to determine what action should be taken next, whether it's dismissing the company, looking at another intersection or verify that there are that many law-abiding citizens," said Monahan.

Whatever they decide to do, they plan to do it by the end of March. Taxpayer money and citizen safety is at risk.

The cameras were installed not just because this is the busiest intersection in unincorporated Chatham County, but it's also the most dangerous. In the past there years, there have been 138 wrecks there.

Monahan says the whole point of the cameras is to make the intersection safer. "The deterrent is not there," he said.

The county is either going to put up its own camera for the field study or put an officer there in an unmarked car. The original study showed 50 violators a day.

The cameras on Abercorn and DeRenne and at Mall Boulevard and White Bluff catch an average of 90 violators day. Again, these cameras at King George and 204 are catching about one a day.

 

 

 

Joe Scott, VP Marketing
PhantomPlate Inc.

joe.scott@phantomplate.com 
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