ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 52

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Happy Thanksgiving from ATS

Nearly one in seven Americans will be traveling 50 miles or farther this Thanksgiving Holiday, and 41 million of them will do so on the road. American Traffic Solutions encourages drivers to extend courtesy and caution to their fellow travelers so that everyone may reach their destination safely. Have a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving.

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New York City Takes on Traffic Fatalities
PBS Newshour (Virginia), Nov. 24, 2014

A remarkable amount of the time, all these buses and taxis, cars and bicycles, joggers and walkers, manage to coexist on the streets of New York, but when something goes wrong, it can be horrible, leaving families devastated. (PBS Newshour image)

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News Investigators Find Drivers Fail to Stop for School Buses
KAIT-TV ABC 8 (Arkansas), Nov. 24, 2014

When the lights are flashing on a school bus, drivers are supposed to stop; but, bus drivers say that doesn’t always happen. Chances are they will get away with it. In a Region 8 News investigation, we used our cameras to catch these lawbreakers.

 

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Linden Officials: Let Towns Decide Future Use of Red-Light Cameras
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com (New Jersey), Nov. 25, 2014

The state’s red-light camera program should be extended for another two years and it should be the towns, and not the state, who make the final decision if the cameras stay or are shut down, Linden officials said. See related article from NJ Advance Media here(NJ Advance Media photo by Larry Higgs)

National Coalition Urges Drivers to be Safe on Thanksgiving
KWES-TV Channel 9 (Texas), Nov. 24, 2014

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest weekends for American roadways. Millions of people will be traveling long distances to celebrate the holiday with family and friends, leading to an increase in distractions, drowsiness and risky driving. According to NCSR’s Safer Roads Report 2014: Trends in Red-Light Running, there were 31,790 reported red-light violations during the Thanksgiving holiday period last year, leaving intersections across the U.S. at higher risk for vehicle collisions. View report here.

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Suffolk Red-Light Camera Revenue Up, Injury Crashes Drop
Newsday (New York), Nov. 22, 2014

Revenue from Suffolk County’s red-light camera program jumped nearly 80 percent in 2013 to more than $17 million, as the county added new intersections to the program and a $30 fee to tickets, according to a county report. The number of accidents at the 100 intersections with cameras declined an average 5.4 percent, compared with the 12 months before the cameras were installed. Accidents involving injuries dropped 10.6 percent, while side-impact collisions fell 30 percent. (Newsday photo by Heather Walsh)

Police: Red-Light Running Collision Kills 2 in Passing Car
WTSP-TV CBS 10 (Florida), Nov. 20, 2014

A 16-year-old driver ran a red light early Thursday and struck another car, killing both occupants of the other vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

 

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Stop-Arm Cameras to Go on Some Rolling Meadows School Buses
Chicago Tribune (Illinois), Nov. 24, 2014

Rolling Meadows is expanding camera enforcement on the roads beyond red lights, as five school buses will be equipped with cameras on the stop signs that activate when stopped to pick up children. Fines will be between $150 to $500. (Chicago Tribune photo by Stacey Wescott)

Should Cameras Be Used to Enforce Bus Laws?
Citizen-Times (North Carolina), Nov. 24, 2014

During the two and  a half years state trooper Kelly Rhodes drove a school bus when he was a high school student in the early 1980s, he says there wasn’t a single time when someone passed his bus when the stop sign was deployed. But today, Rhodes said drivers are “texting, they’re fiddling with the radio, dealing with their kids” — and sailing right past stopped school buses. A statewide survey indicates that a typical school bus in North Carolina is passed illegally about once a week. State Attorney General Roy Cooper is pushing a plan he hopes would mean drivers will either pay attention to the law when approaching a stopped school bus or pay a fine.

City School Buses Add Cameras; Advocate Driver Safety
The Marion Star (Ohio), Nov. 22, 2014

Police officers and school officials hope a little extra technology will help keep kids safer heading to and coming home from school. Marion City School buses have added a camera on the outside of the bus to catch drivers running the blinking red light.

 

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ATS_RoadSafety @ATS_RoadSafety VIDEO: Whoa! A red-light runner in Knoxville, TN nearly hit a group of #pedestrians in the crosswalk. RT to … http//youtu.be/g8HDoa6V5Xw?a

ATS_RoadSafety @ATS_RoadSafety RT! Red-light running is a dangerous problem. #StopOnRed Learn more: http://www.ranaredlight.us

 

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Despite Driver Ire, HOT Lanes More Popular than Ever
WSB-TV Channel 2 (Georgia), Nov. 24, 2014

Toll lanes that aim to speed up the morning commute have been more popular than the state had imagined. … Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority Executive Director Chris Tomlinson said more and more drivers are picking to pay to use the express lane. (WSB-TV Channel 2 graphic)

Toll Roads More Attractive on Lower Gas Prices
Reuters (New York), Nov. 20, 2014

Toll roads are becoming a more attractive investment as lower energy prices provide a greater incentive for drivers to use their cars and boost the use of toll roads, Gregory Serbe, portfolio manager at municipal bond specialist firm Lebenthal Asset Management, said last week.

 

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Letter to the Editor: Vote Ignored Public Safety
The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio), Nov. 24, 2014

Sen. Bill Seitz, along with a majority of Ohio Senators, passed a bill Wednesday that would effectively ban the use of red-light cameras in Ohio. Apparently all those angry drivers who ran red lights and got tickets called their representatives and complained. Bummer that the thousands of us who didn’t run red lights forgot to call and remind Seitz that we like staying alive when driving through intersections more than we mind a camera enforcing traffic law.

Letter: Too Many Drivers Are Threat to Pedestrians
Democrat & Chronicle (New York), Nov. 24, 2014

Bravo to the Rochester City Council for not backing down on the use of red-light cameras. As an avid walker, I know how dangerous it is out there! There have been numerous times when I have almost been hit by vehicles that were charging into the crosswalk when the sign clearly said “Walk.”

 

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“People are driving differently, they’re driving safer.”
Harry Earle, Police Chief of Gloucester Township Police Department, New Jersey
KYW-TV (Pennsylvania), Nov. 24, 2014

“When our program first launched we were issuing 2,000 red-light citations a month — and now two years later the number hovers around 600. These figures serve as significant signs the program is working as intended. Drivers are slowing down and acting more cautiously. This conscious state of driving undoubtedly saves lives and prevents injuries.”
John Cook and Anthony Cancro, Springfield Police Chief and Township Administrator in written statement
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Nov. 24, 2014

“It happens all the time, unfortunately. It’s very dangerous and it frustrates our drivers because the safety of their kids is so important to them.”
Sue Tripp, Transportation Coordinator for Asheville City Schools, North Carolina
Citizen-Times, Nov. 24, 2014

“These buses are built tough and they do a good job of protecting kids. It’s when they get off and on the bus is when we have a problem.”
Joe Hough, Transportation Director for Buncombe County Schools, North Carolina
Citizen-Times, Nov. 24, 2014

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In Suffolk County, the number of accidents at the 100 intersections with cameras declined an average of 5.4 percent, compared with the 12 months before the cameras were installed, according to a report by the Suffolk County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency. Accidents involving injuries dropped 10.6 percent, while side-impact collisions fell 30 percent. Source: Newsday, Nov. 22, 2014.

Moody’s Investors Service last week forecast median traffic growth of 1-2 percent for the 44 toll roads it rates next year, in line with 2014. Source: Reuters, Nov. 20, 2014.