ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 5, Issue 24

Header VideoOfTheWeek 480

Newscast_SchoolBus_StopArmViolations_WRC-TV NBC 4_WashingtonDC_052715
Councilman Wants State to Review School Bus Stop Safety
WRC-TV NBC 4 (Washington, D.C.), May 27, 2015

The chairman of the Montgomery County Council Education Committee has asked for a state investigation of the safety of some local bus stops, because of the findings of a News 4 I-Team report. Council member Craig Rice requested the State Highway Administration review the safety of pedestrians at the bus stops along state Route 355, where a large number of drivers were ticketed for illegally passing stopped school buses.

Alonzo Linan_TransportationSpokesman_FortWorth_Texas_052615
Fort Worth Official Says Cameras Are Working as Expected
WFAA-TV ABC 8 (Texas), May 26, 2015

The Fort Worth Official in charge of the city’s red-light camera program says it is having the intended effect on driver behavior.

TP Red Light Final w SM
Frederick Ups Number of Red-Light Safety Cameras to 14
Your4State.com/WHAG-TV NBC (Maryland) May 26, 2015

Two additional red-light violation installations have been added to two of the city’s busiest intersections. … The city of Frederick’s program, which began in 2005, will now have 14 installations covering the city. In the past two years, more than 48,000 violations have been recorded. (Frederick News Post image by Travis Pratt)

SchoolBus_GroundLevel_PulaskiCounty_LittleRock_Arkansas_052615
8-Year-Old Hit by Car while Boarding School Bus
KARK-TV NBC 4 (Arkansas), May 26, 2015

An 8-year-old boy is recovering after being hit by a car Tuesday morning. The second-grader was walking up to a school bus when he was hit, according to police. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The driver said she didn’t see the school bus with its flashing lights on until it was too late to stop. (KARK-TV NBC 4 image) See related coverage from KATV-TV ABC 8.

 

Header MediaCoverage 480

Intersection_BeverlyHills_California_012015
Beverly Hills Turns On Red-Light Cameras, Adds More
KABC-TV ABC 7 (California), May 26, 2015

As many cities abandon their red light cameras, Beverly Hills is not only turning theirs back on, they’re installing several more. … By June 15, a total of 15 cameras will be flashing those speeding through the intersection. (Beverly Hills Courier image)

Amnesty for Unpaid Camera Tickets to End
The Blade (Ohio), May 25, 2015

The city of Toledo’s amnesty program for delinquent speed and red-light running violations caught on camera will expire June 7. The program allows people with unpaid violations to pay two-thirds of the delinquent amount and the remaining balance will be forgiven. After the amnesty program ends, the city plans to file lawsuits to collect unpaid fines.

 

Header SafeSpeeds 480

RadarGun_CloseUp_StatenIsland_NewYork_052815
With Cameras Out of View, Speeding Persists
SILive.com/Staten Island Advance (New York), May 28, 2015

Staten Island has long been synonymous with driving mayhem — and speeding is often at the top of that list. Speeding was logged as the top concern at the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Vision Zero public forums on the Island. It was also the most common complaint on the city’s Vision Zero input map for Richmond County. And just last month, a 32-year-old man died in a crash police say likely involved speeding. (Staten Island Advance image by Vincent Barone)

Speed Camera Photo Helps Nab Bogus Paramedic
Times of India, May 25, 2015

A bogus paramedic, who was running errands for his sick wife, has been jailed after disguising his wife’s car as an ambulance. The 60-year-old man attached a flashing blue light to his wife’s Renault. He had an “emergency response” sign painted on the side and wore a paramedic’s uniform. Despite not have a licence, he drove up to 73 mph and ran red lights, but was arrested after being flashed by a speed camera in South Wales.

Pennsylvania Considering Photo Enforcement in Work Zones
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 23, 2015

Maryland’s work zone speed enforcement camera program, begun in 2009, has drastically reduced speeding in work zones from 7 percent of drivers to about 1 percent, and Pennsylvania lawmakers, stung by two recent crashes that injured five construction workers, are pushing to begin similar enforcement here. Legislation would establish a five-year pilot program of cameras in construction zones.

 

Header SchoolZoneSafety 480

SchoolCrossing_Longview_Washington_053114
Longview Council Could Tap Camera Money for Staff Position
The Daily News Online (Washington), May 27, 2015

The police department is seeking $110,000 from Longview’s traffic safety fund — revenue from school-zone speed camera tickets — to pay for an office assistant. The position was eliminated at the end of 2013, but since then “the volume of photo enforcement work done by police clerical staff has increased fivefold from 2012 to 2014,” according to the proposal. (The Daily News image)

 

Header Announcements 480

RoadSafetyInk-Survey

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please take a moment to click on the image above and complete the brief survey that opens up. Your input will help ATS make your experience with Road Safety Ink the best it can be! Thank you for your comments.

 

Header TweetOfTheWeek 480

Graphic_NCSR_RLRHolidayCount_2015

NCSR_logo
NCSR @SaferRoadsUSA Summer is reported to be the most dangerous time of the year on the road. Reckless driving is a key contributor.

TwitterImage_ATS_DL022615
ATS_RoadSafety Sad News. Police: Motorcyclist ran through red light prior to fatal collision. khq.com/story/29159578… @KHQLocalNews #StopOnRed

 

Header Toll Roads 480

Toll_WestVirginiaTurnpike_020915
West Virginia Turnpike Toll Transactions Jump with Holiday
WCHS-TV ABC 8, May 26, 2015

Motorists definitely hit the road on Memorial Day weekend. Toll transactions on the West Virginia Turnpike jumped 5 percent when compared to the previous year, Parkways Authority General Manager Greg Barr said. More than 588,000 transactions were made Thursday through Monday. Overall, Turnpike traffic is up 4 percent from the previous year. (WVMetroNews.com image)

A Better Way to Pay for Our Infrastructure Fixes?
The Fiscal Times (New York), May 21, 2015

A study, by a trio of highly regarded experts working with the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project, proposes that over the long term, a better way for the United States to pay for its infrastructure might be to take funding out of the hands of government officials — particularly federal officials — and largely automate it through the collection of user fees like road tolls and transit fares. The authors propose making existing transponder-based wireless toll collection systems interoperable nationwide.

Drivers Keep On Truckin’ Despite Toll Hike
Daily Herald (Illinois), May 20, 2015

A lot of truckers are still using toll roads despite a rate hike that went into effect Jan. 1. At a recent committee meeting, tollway financial staffers reported revenue from commercial vehicles reached $109.9 million in the first quarter of 2015. That’s a jump of 46.8 percent compared to $74.8 million in the first three months of 2014.

 

Header Commentaries 480

PenInHand_DL122612
Letter to the Editor: Speed Camera Shutdown Unwise
Newsday (New York), May 26, 2015

I don’t think that shutting down the speed cameras was a good idea. No one wants to get fined, but now there’s an $8 million budget hole. Since the government is not going to get money from speed cameras, Nassau County’s taxes could increase, or there could be cuts to youth programs, bus or other services. Now no one will slow down around school areas, which puts children at risk.

Letter: Install More Red-Light Cameras
The Denver Post (Colorado), May 24, 2015

The folks complaining about red-light cameras must never ride a bike or walk. Let’s place those cameras at every intersection and make the fines 10 times higher. It would end the deadly practice of red-light running.

 

Header QuoteOfTheWeek 480

Minden,Carl_Captain_PulaskiCountySheriffsOffice_052615
“It could have been exponentially worse than what it is. It’s a blessing that the child is alive at this point.”
Carl Minden, Captain with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, commenting on a car passing a stopped school bus and hitting a second-grader
Myarklamiss.com/KARK-TV NBC 4 (Arkansas), May 26, 2015

“It is our belief that they are effective tools. They’re also a force multiplier for us. One of the most dangerous things a motor officer can do is try and go after a car that just ran a red light.”
Michael Foxen, Lieutenant with Beverly Hills Police Department
KABC-TV ABC 7 (California), May 26, 2015

 

Header Statistics 480

Texas
In Fort Worth, the red-light safety camera programs is gathering fewer tickets per camera every month a camera is in place. At the city’s most ticketed intersection, tickets fell from 14,632 in fiscal year 2010 to 6,294 in the last fiscal year, a decrease of more than 50 percent. At Fort Worth’s second most-ticketed spot, tickets decreased from 13,455 in 2009 fiscal year to 5,145 last fiscal year. Source: WFAA-TV ABC 8, May 25, 2015.