ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 35

 

Stop.On_.Red_.Week_.Web_.Header.20141

Red-light running is an aggressive driving behavior that killed 683 people and injured 133,000 in 2012. Ending this recklessness is the aim of Stop on Red Week, which begins Sunday. Along with hearing what the experts have to say in your city about safe driving and its many benefits, make a pledge this year to stop on red. The change you make, may just save a life. For information about raising awareness about red-light running hazards, visit ATS on Facebook, the National Coalition for Safer Roads or the Federal Highway Administration. Then go to the ATS Twitter page and spread the message using #StopOnRed2014!

Header MediaCoverage 480

Crash_Denver_6Injured_KMGHtvABC7_073014
Vehicular Assault Charge Filed in Red-Light Running Crash
KMGH-TV ABC 7 (Colorado), July 30, 2014

Denver prosecutors have formally charged a woman with vehicular assault after they said she ran a red light and crashed into another car injuring six people.

camera072914b
2nd Red-Light Camera Program in Pennsylvania Launches
Montgomery Media, July 30, 2014

Ten red-light safety cameras will become operational at three intersections in Abington Township on Friday. In addition to Philadelphia, Abington is the only other municipality in the state to use a red-light camera system to aid in traffic safety. (21st Century Media photo by Geoff Patton)

MountVernon_Downtown_NewYork_042012
Mount Vernon, New Rochelle in Line for Red-Light Safety Cameras
New Rochelle Daily Voice (New York), July 29, 2014

New Rochelle and Mount Vernon motorists are going to have to exercise a little more caution when approaching yellow lights in their cities after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation to install red-light cameras at intersections. The legislation, which was sponsored by State Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, who represents Mount Vernon, allows Mount Vernon to install cameras at up to 20 intersections, while New Rochelle can install as many as a dozen. (Photo by Marcus Yam for The New York Times)

Local Governments Turn Red Lights into Green
WTOP-Radio 103.5 FM  (Washington D.C.), July 28, 2014

Red-light cameras are pulling in big dollars for local governments in the Washington, D.C., area, according to new data from AAA Mid-Atlantic. Red-light camera programs in cities like D.C. and Rockville, and Montgomery, Prince George’s and Arlington counties raked in $21 million combined in 2013, the data show.

RLC_CloseUp_Clermont_Florida_CentralFloridaNewsTV13_021213
Bellevue Expands Photo Enforcement Program
ITS International, July 25, 2014

Bellevue City Council, Washington, has approved an expansion of the city’s photo enforcement program, supplied by American Traffic Solutions, from three red-light cameras and two school-zone cameras to six red-light cameras and three school-zone cameras.

Fayetteville Red-Light Cameras to Return
WRAL-TV Channel 5 (North Carolina), July 24, 2014

Red-light cameras will likely reappear at some Fayetteville intersections soon. Last week, lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that will allow the program to be paid for through a joint agreement between the city and the Cumberland County Board of Education.

Header SafeSpeeds 480

SpeedCameraInstallation_Chicago_081213
Speed Cameras Cut Speeding 43% in Chicago
Streetsblog Chicago (Illinois), July 21, 2014

The City of Chicago’s automated speed enforcement system continues to succeed in reducing dangerous speeding around parks and schools. According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, the number of speeding cars observed by its 51 speed cameras has fallen an average of 43 percent ever since the first week of the cameras’ operation. At some locations, the number of speeders dropped as much as 99 percent. See related city press release. (WGN-TV Channel 9 image)

Header CrossingGuard  480

SchoolBus_CameraAndStopPaddle_RowanSalisbury_NorthCarolina_SalisburyPost_032312
Talk Now with Children about School Bus Safety
Newswise.com, July 28, 2014

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, from 2001 through 2010, 1,368 people died in school transportation-related crashes – an average of 137 fatalities per year. “As families begin to prepare for children returning to school, it’s important for parents and children to go over school bus safety tips together,” says Dawne Gardner, injury prevention coordinator, Comprehensive Children’s Injury Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Header SchoolZoneSafety 480

MobileSpeedVan_NassauCounty_NewYork_072614
Speed Cameras Begin Operation in Nassau School Zones
Newsday (New York), July 26, 2014

Nassau County has started operating speed cameras at school zones as part of a state-approved plan aimed at improving traffic safety and raising money for the county. On Friday, cameras were placed at three schools, which are open for summer school. Each received a mobile unit, an unmarked van equipped with two cameras and a radar machine, to place nearby. (Newsday photo by Steve Pfost)

Speed Camera Set for School
Levittown Tribune (New York), July 25, 2014

Last June, Nassau County passed legislation that allows for the deployment of a speed enforcement camera system in school zones for each of the 56 public school districts in the county. The new systems will be implemented on July 25. In the Island Trees Union-Free School District, the Memorial Middle School was picked as the location for the new camera system to try and encourage safety while reducing the speed of traffic around the school.

Header Announcements 480

ATS Primary Logo

American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is proud to announce the extension of its road safety camera agreements with several long-standing clients. The cities of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, along with Florida City and Opa-Locka, Florida, all recently agreed to continue operating their photo enforcement systems. Opa-Locka, a client since 2009, and Baton Rouge, a client since 2007, both signed five-year extensions, while Florida City, an ATS client since 2007, extended their agreement by three years. ATS is honored to remain a partner in road safety with Opa-Locka, Florida City, Baton Rouge and all of its clients.

Header TweetOfTheWeek 480

ATS_Road Safety @ATS_RoadSafety Tip Tuesday: Driving while using a mobile reduces brain activity associated with driving by 37%. http://pinterest.com/pin/437412182532168707/

NCSS_Transportation @SchoolBusNCSS Help us protect students. Never pass a school bus when the stop arm is extended! Please RT. #ncssbethebest

Header Toll Roads 480
Electronic Toll Installations Proceed in Miami-Dade County
Miami Herald (Florida), July 28, 2014

Partial evening closures on two major east-west expressways in Miami-Dade County are in effect this week. Workers are installing electronic tolling equipment on state roads 836 (the Dolphin Expressway) and 112 (the Airport Expressway). The overhead scanners will do away with the need for tollbooths. They will also close loopholes that allow some cars traveling between certain exits to escape tolls. See additional Miami Herald news coverage.

Tolls_TobinBridge_Massachusetts_030514
Data Shows Switch to Automatic Tolling on Tobin Bridge a No-Brainer
BosInno (Massachusetts), July 22, 2014

When the Massachusetts Department of Transportation switched the Tobin Bridge from its traditional toll-taking methods to the contemporary and electronic E-ZPass system, it seemed like a no-brainer. Still, I wondered if it was a bit unfair that the preeminent entranceway to Boston from the north is more accommodating to the E-ZPass crowd? I figured as much … until I saw the data.

Header Commentaries 480

Computer Keyboard No. 2_DL122612
Commentary: Red-Light Cameras Are Picture Perfect for Speeders
The Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada), July 28, 2014

The police seem very busy whenever they set up shop for speeders on the 403 overpass. But why are we using highly paid, highly skilled people when we can mount a camera and get everyone? Right now, the police are limited in the number of speeders they can catch because when they’re busy with one, others are sneaking through. With photo radar, we can catch them all. We have the technology, why aren’t we using it more effectively?

Commentary: Cameras Returning, and It’s about Time
The Fayetteville Observer (North Carolina), July 26, 2014

Driving in Fayetteville will be safer soon – at least at some busy intersections. Red-light cameras are coming back. That makes me happy. Red-light cameras made so much sense here earlier. And the police had the numbers to prove they worked. The cameras caught the idiots in action and mailed them tickets. Each of those intersections got safer. There was no question about the cause and effect.

NewspaperWithPen_DL122612
Letter: Run a Red Light – Get a Ticket
Amarillo Globe-News (Texas), July 29, 2014

The state of Texas has a law about running red lights, and that’s what last week’s letter-writer did – and got caught. The writer can complain all he wants, and spend all the time he wants in researching an ordinance and then venting his anger in a letter to the editor, but running a red light is running a red light – a violation worthy of a ticket.

Letter: Don’t Run Red Lights – Problem Solved
Amarillo Globe-News (Texas), July 27, 2014

In reference to the guest column (Look at the big picture of Amarillo’s red-light traffic cameras, July 19, amarillo.com), it is nice that the author did all his homework on red-light requirements. Too bad he didn’t do his homework and research on red-light cameras actually in Amarillo.

Header QuoteOfTheWeek 480

Kelly,William_PoliceChief_AbingtonTownship_Pennsylvania_073014
“Technology has been made available to us that will help us accomplish our traffic safety goals and help us do so perfectly. We’d be remiss not to say, ‘Let’s go and try it.’ Why would we ignore that technology just because some people see it as controversial? We want to reduce the number of violations, reduce the number of accidents, and most importantly, reduce the number of accidents with injuries.”
William Kelly, Police Chief of Abington, Pennsylvania
Montgomery Media, July 30, 2014

Hassell-Thompson,Ruth_StateSenator_NewYork_DL072914
“The new law will dramatically increase the safety of our pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Those who recklessly run red lights will no longer be tolerated. By creating awareness, people will modify their driving behavior and everyone will be safer.”
Ruth Hassell-Thompson, State Senator, New York
New Rochelle Daily Voice, July 29, 2014

Murphy,Charles_Superintendent_IslandTreesSchools_DL072914
“For quite some time, the community has expressed concern with the traffic and the traffic pattern in front of the middle school. I imagine this new law will slow things down in front of this building, in turn, improving student safety for our secondary students.”
Charles Murphy, Island Trees Schools Superintendent
Levittown Tribune (New York), July 25, 2014