Header VideoOfTheWeek 480

SchoolBus_StopArm_CarPassing_MontgomeryCounty_Maryland_101614
Stronger Measures Sought Against Drivers Who Pass School Buses
WMAR-TV ABC 2 (Maryland), Oct. 16, 2014

Montgomery County is hoping to stop aggressive drivers around school buses. So far, more than 825 drivers have received citations from cameras on 25 buses. The district is planning to buy 10 more cameras and educators are pushing for the current fine to be doubled to $250. See related coverage from The Washington Post.

SchoolBus_StoArm_Motorcyclist_WestVirginia_101514
Neighbors Concerned about Speeders
WCHS-TV ABC 8 (West Virginia), Oct. 15, 2014

Bryan Christian has lived near Reunion Road in Pinch for eight years and in that time he has noticed a problem. … The posted speed limit is 25 mph, but Christian said he has seen cars going much faster. “There are two buses that stop at this intersection, and we’ve seen several near misses,” he said.

RLC_Streetscene_Pueblo_Colorado_100914
Police: Pueblo’s Red-Light Cameras Are for Safety, Not Revenue
KOAA-TV NBC 5 (Colorado), Oct. 9, 2014

According to Pueblo Police, red-light safety cameras are the extra set of eyes in the sky for them.  The upside is the police don’t have to station an officer at those locations all the time. As for revenue, the city doesn’t receive a dime. When News 5 Investigates asked why run a program that doesn’t make money for the department, Police Sgt. Howard Jackson said, “It’s about safety. By cutting down the number of red-light violations, we see a reduction in serious accidents.”

 

Header MediaCoverage 480

Collision_U-HaulTruck_SchooBus_Omaha_Nebraska_101314
Police: Truck  Runs Red Light, Collides with School Bus
Omaha World-Herald (Nebraska), Oct. 13, 2014

Two Bryan High School students were treated for minor injuries at an Omaha hospital Monday following a two-vehicle accident involving a school bus. The bus had been traveling west on Grover when a truck traveling southbound on 42nd Street ran a red light and hit the bus, said Omaha Police Department spokesman James Shade. (WOWT-TV NBC 6 image.)

 

Header SchoolZoneSafety 480

MobileSpeedVan_ValleyStreamSchoolZone_NassauCounty_NewYork_101514
Mobile Speed Vans Park in Valley Stream School Zones
Valley Stream Herald (New York), Oct. 15, 2014

Two of Nassau County’s new school zone speed cameras are in operation in front of two Valley Stream elementary schools, prompting praise from some but also skepticism as to how far they’ll go in making those areas safer. Valley Stream Herald photo by Brendan Murray.

ATSMobileSpeedVan_KarnesCounty_Texas_101014
Karnes County Considers Safety Cameras for Buses, School Zones
MySouTex.com/The Karnes Countywide (Texas), Oct. 10, 2014

Karnes County officials are considering the use of what are commonly known as “red-light cameras” as a way to help keep local children safe in school zones and bus stops where children get on and off school buses. Karnes County Sheriff Dwayne Villanueva said his office has seen a dramatic increase in the number of incidents where vehicles speed past school buses, completely ignoring the red lights and stop sign on the side of the bus. American Traffic Solutions recently addressed county officials regarding this concern.

 

Header CrossingGuard NoTM  480

Durham Schools Seek Grant for School Bus Safety Cameras
The Herald Sun (North Carolina), Oct. 12, 2013

The school district is in the process of applying for a $60,000 grant from State Farm to purchase and mount about 20 stop-arm cameras on Durham school buses. … Marlon Watson, the school district’s director of transportation, said he got the idea to seek the grant after hearing about Johnston County’s success in landing a grant from a different organization to help purchase 93 stop-arm cameras. Johnston County now has the largest number of buses equipped with stop-arm cameras.

Cameras Donated to Stop School Bus Arm Running
Kennebunk Post (Maine), Oct. 10, 2014

Superintendent Kevin Crowley announced Monday that W.C. Cressey and Son, Inc. of Kennebunk has donated and will install five side-arm school bus cameras to Regional School Unit 21. W.C. Cressey and Son is the northern New England dealer of Thomas Built Buses and bus-related products.

 

Header Announcements 480

ATS Primary Logo

American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is pleased to announce its road safety camera partnership with the city of Surfside, Florida, will continue for an additional three years under the terms of a recently signed contract amendment. ATS appreciates its partnership with Surfside, which dates to 2010, and looks forward to helping the city reach its traffic safety goals.

 

Header TweetOfTheWeek 480

RLRCrash_Laurel_Maryland_091814
ATS_RoadSafety @ATS_RoadSafety VIDEOS Dangerous Red-Light Runners  atsol.com/media-center/v…  #StopOnRed

ATS_RoadSafety @ATS_RoadSafety This is a sad reminder about the consequences of red-light running. Please #StopOnRed  sanangelolive.com/news/2014-10-0…

 

Header TollRoadSafety 480

TollPlaza_EZPass_HenryHudsonBridge_NewYork_DL101514
TransCore to Install All-Electronic Tolling on Henry Hudson Bridge
CNBC Channel 25, Oct. 14, 2014

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges & Tunnels has selected TransCore to deploy the agency’s first All-Electronic Tolling system. This system will be implemented on the historic Henry Hudson Bridge. Built in 1936, the iconic bridge provides passage for more than 63,000 vehicles each day. See related MTA press release here.

Official Questions Truck Drivers Route around Toll Road; Ban Possible
Poughkeepsie Journal (New York), Oct. 9, 2014

Could tractor-trailers and other big trucks soon be banned from using Route 17 in Rockland and Orange counties? The state Department of Transportation is considering it and expects to make a decision sometime in the next several weeks. Assemblyman James Skoufis asked the DOT in July for the review because he suspects truck companies are using Routes 17 and 32 in Orange County to avoid paying tolls on the Thruway.

 

Header QuoteOfTheWeek 480

Fare,Ed_Mayor_VillageOfVAlleyStream_NewYork_DL101514
“There will probably be a lot of people upset early in this program as the first flurry of tickets goes out. But over time, when people adjust, I really do think we will see great results.”
Ed Fare, Mayor of Village of Valley Stream
Valley Stream Herald (New York), Oct. 15, 2014

Rutherford,John_Sheriff_Jacksonville_Florida_DL101514
“People got used to running the red light and now when someone in front of them stops, they are surprised. Now they run into the back of them because they weren’t expecting them to stop. They were expecting them to run the red light like they were going to do.”
John Rutherford, Sheriff of Jacksonville, Florida
The Florida Times-Union, Oct. 13, 2014

Jackson,Howard_Sergeant_PuebloPoliceDepartment_Colorado_100914
“As time goes on and people get used to the cameras, they don’t run the light.”
Howard Jackson, Pueblo Colorado Police Sergeant
KOAA-TV NBC 5, Oct. 9, 2014

Ferrara,Jim_President_MetropolitanTransportationAuthorityBridgesTunnels_NewYorkCity_DL101514
“We are excited about this (automated electronic tolling) project. It’s good for the MTA because it’s the most efficient way to collect tolls; good for drivers because it provides for seamless travel, and good for the environment because it reduces vehicle emissions.”
Jim Ferrara, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels President
MTA press release (New York), Oct. 8, 2014

Header Commentaries 480

Computer Keyboard No. 2_DL122612
Commentary: Why Freedom-Loving People Should Support Red-Light Cameras
Sierra Vista Herald (Arizona), Oct. 12, 2014

In the debate over red-light cameras. … Wouldn’t law enforcement agencies prefer, and be wiser, to spend their resources on actual crime-fighting and building relationships in the community, than acting as Roman-era tax collectors when machines can do that work for them? This goes to the biggest reason freedom-loving people should support red light cameras — this technology is the future whether we like it or not. Before long, no municipality in its right financial mind will be investing twentysome taxpayer dollars an hour in human capital to mind traffic offenses machines do so much more efficiently.

NewspaperWithPen_DL122612
Letter to the Editor: Questions on Cameras
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas), Oct. 14, 2014

Did I miss something? Are the red-light cameras not working right? Are they not paid for? Why are we discussing doing away with them? Is it because people don’t want to pay their fines? How about facing up to our responsibilities? If Arlington is losing revenue due to non-payment of fines, why not do something to change that instead of just trashing what was evidently a good idea when the plan was adopted?

Header Statistics 480

Maryland
Since January 825 citations have been issued to drivers who passed a stopped school bus that has its stop sign and stop arm extended, Montgomery County Council President Craig Rice said Monday. SOURCE: Montgomery Community Media, Oct. 14, 2014.

National
A report by Seattle-based INRIX and the Centre for Economics and Business Research predicts a 50% rise in gridlock costs in the U.S. in the next 16 years, reaching $186 billion in 2030. Los Angeles is the real Carmaggedon, the most auto-centric city in the States, which accounts for nearly 20% of the country’s total congestion costs. SOURCE: Forbes, Oct. 14, 2014.