Oak Ridge Today

Letter: Why didn’t Chamber ‘weigh in’ on red-light camera debate?

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To the Editor:

What is curious about the red-light camera debate is the fact that the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce did not weigh in. It is supposed to recruit and lobby for small businesses.

Not a single business in Oak Ridge, when asked, refused to sign our petition against the cameras. They knew that the cameras hurt their bottom line.

The Chamber appears to spend its time and budget on wooing the large government contracters from out of state. They seem uninterested in local start-ups and successes. [Read more…]

Crashes, vehicle speeds down near red-light cameras, reports say

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Red-light Camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue

The largest crash reduction near red-light cameras occurred near the system at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue/Lafayette Drive.

There has been an overall decrease in the number of car crashes near red-light camera systems installed at four locations in Oak Ridge five years ago, and vehicle speeds have dropped near two schools, officials said.

Council members had requested information about crash frequency and history as the controversial five-year red-light camera contract, approved in August 2008, comes up for renewal in April. The crash information, as well as data on vehicle speeds, is included in the agenda packet for a Monday night Oak Ridge City Council work session.

The information said the largest crash reduction occurred at Oak Ridge Turnpike and Lafayette Drive/New York Avenue. Accidents there fell from 86 to 58, or roughly 33 percent, and injuries fell from 25 to 13, about a 50 percent reduction.

The totals compared the number of crashes from one four-year period starting March 2005 and ending March 2009, and a second period starting April 2009 and ending in November 2013, or a little more than four years. [Read more…]

UT professors study dilemmas in sustaining red light camera programs

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Red Light Camera Study Table

This figure shows a list of measures and their effectiveness, safety impacts, and efficiency impacts. (Submitted image)

KNOXVILLE— It’s a common driving predicament: As you approach the intersection, the light is yellow. Do you hit the brakes or face a red light camera fine?

Some municipalities engineer their traffic signals to force drivers into this situation in an effort to generate revenue from the cameras.

Professors at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have analyzed this issue to determine if traffic control measures intended to boost red light revenue—such as shortening yellow light time or increasing the speed limit on a street—compromise safety. [Read more…]