ATS’ Newsletter, Vol. 7, Issue 10

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Louisiana House Committee Vote Keeps Cameras in Place
The Advocate (Louisiana), May 8, 2017

A bill that would let voters statewide decide whether to outlaw traffic cameras was crushed Monday in the House Transportation Committee. The vote was 14-1 to kill the plan, House Bill 257. (WWL-TV CBS 4 image)

Police: Car Ran Red Light in Vegas School Bus Crash
KDWN-Radio 720 AM (Nevada), May 5, 2017

A passenger car driver ran a red light and caused a school bus crash that injured 15 children on the bus, the bus driver and a child in her car, police and school officials in Las Vegas said. The 70-year-old driver of the car was killed and the 10-year-old girl who was with her was seriously injured in the early morning crash on May 4.


ATS Among 6 Finalists for Baltimore Road Safety Camera Contract
Carroll County Times (Maryland), May 3, 2017

Baltimore officials have disclosed the names of the six firms competing to win the potentially lucrative contract to restart the city’s speed and red-light camera program. American Traffic Solutions is named on the list.  See related article at WMAR-TV ABC 2.  (The Baltimore Sun image by Barbara Haddock Taylor)

 

ATS Awarded Contract in Houston-Galveston Area
GSN Magazine, May 2, 2017

American Traffic Solutions has been awarded a contract with the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s co-op program HGACBuy. The award, won through a competitive bidding process, positions ATS as the exclusive provider of red-light, speed and school bus stop-arm safety cameras to HGACBuy members.

Chandler Activates New Photo Enforcement Camera
KTVK-TV Channel 3 (Arizona), April 30, 2017

Photo enforcement cameras at a Chandler intersection will start taking pictures of lawbreaking drivers on May 1. The cameras are at the intersection of McQueen and Queen Creek roads and will only monitor drivers going north or south on McQueen.

 

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Ordinance Lets Road Safety Cameras Return to Dayton
WDTN-TV Channel 2 (Ohio), May 10, 2017

The Dayton City Commission voted Wednesday to enact an ordinance that would bring controversial traffic cameras back to the city. The cameras will be implemented to catch drivers who speed and run red lights. … Dayton police chief Richard Biehl said the city has seen a 45 percent increase in traffic deaths in the last three years. (WDTN-TV Channel 2 image)


Family Crusades against Rising Pedestrian Fatalities
The Mercury News (California), May 8, 2017

Five-year-old Aileen Quiroz Chavez died almost four years ago when an SUV ran into her, her then-2-year-old sister, Arlette, and her aunt, Elena Quiroz, as they walked in the marked crossing. … Through a campaign they named AileenQ, Aileen’s family has been trying to educate people about traffic safety at community and school presentations, and holding periodic neighborhood safety walks to spread the word. Meanwhile, the city is trying to reverse the spike in pedestrian deaths. (The Mercury News Image by Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

 

N.Y. Legislature Views 4 Bills to Curb Illegal School Bus Passing
School Bus Fleet, May 4, 2017 

State lawmakers are reviewing four bills that aim to prevent illegal bus passing by boosting public education, allowing stop-arm cameras as a way to help identify violators, and making fines and penalties tougher.  (WHEC-TV NBC 10 image)

Bill Boosts Penalties for Failing to Stop for School Bus
Cape Coral Daily Breeze (Florida), May 5, 2017

Legislation that is awaiting Gov. Rick Scott’s consideration will stiffen the non-criminal penalties for drivers who fail to stop for a school bus and cause serious bodily injury or death. On Monday, HB 1239 – also known as the Cameron Mayhew Act — passed the Florida Legislature  with a 28-6 vote from the Senate. On April 28, the House passed the bill with its own 118-0 vote.


Marysville School Bus Cameras Now Issuing Tickets
The Herald (Washington), May 4, 2017

The warnings are over. The Marysville School District installed traffic enforcement cameras on 15 school buses more than a month ago. During April, drivers caught on camera passing a stopped school bus received a warning. As of Monday, they’ve faced $419 fines. In April, 45 warnings were issued, without fines. See related article at MyNorthwest.com. (The Herald image by Ian Terry)

Police: Pickup Strikes 12-Year-Old Leaving School Bus
New Canaan Patch (Connecticut), May 3, 2017

A 12-year-old girl suffered minor injuries after she was struck by a pickup truck while getting off a school bus on May 2 in Darien. Police said the bus was fully stopped with its external stop sign deployed and red lights flashing. The mirror on the passing pickup truck struck the girl as she attempted to cross Post Road.

 

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ATS_RoadSafety Retweeted TransAlt @TransAlt If you missed the #VisionZeroCities Conference, this is the next best thing. Issue 2 of Vision Zero Cities.

   
ATS_RoadSafety Retweeted NHTSA @NHTSAgov It’s Bicycle Safety Month! Get ready for a month of safety tips & information on one of America’s favorite pastimes.

 

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MassDOT Says Electronic Tolling Accuracy Rate Better than 99%
MassLive.com, May 8, 2017

Six months in, the new cashless tolling system along the Massachusetts Turnpike has seen transactions come to a total of nearly a quarter billion, with an accuracy rate of greater than 99 percent, state transportation officials said Monday. There are 1.9 million E-ZPassMA accounts and 2.4 million “pay-by-plate” accounts, totaling 4.3 million accounts. See related article at Sentinel & Enterprise News. (MassLive.com image by Don Treeger/The Republican)

Rhode Island Picks First Truck Toll Locations on I-95
U.S. News (National) May 6, 2017

Rhode Island’s first highway truck tolls could be installed later this year near the Connecticut border. The state Department of Transportation says the first electronic tolls on commercial big-rig trucks will be on Interstate 95 in both directions.


Toll Lanes Could Open this Summer on MoPac Express Lanes
Community Impact News (Texas), May 6, 2017

Most of the  major structural work on the MoPac express lane project is on track to wrap up by June. In the coming weeks, construction workers will be finishing paving and installing the walls of the underpasses that connect the express toll lanes to downtown Austin. … The project is adding one variably priced toll lane in each direction between Parmer Lane and Cesar Chavez Street. (Community Impact News image by Amy Denney)

 

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“We want people to follow the law and we need to use every technology we can to make sure people are doing that to make our city safe.”
Nan Whaley, Mayor, Dayton, Ohio
WDTN-TV Channel 2, May 10, 2017


“I cannot express the pain and heartache we endure every day since my precious son, Cameron Mayhew, was taken from us. My son lost his life because someone was running late for work and the time clock was more important than the warning lights on the school bus. This tragic event not only affected our family, it has affected our entire community. We need stricter penalties — stricter penalties will save lives, and those lives belong to our children.”
Sherry Stevens, mother of Cameron Mayhew
Cape Coral Daily Breeze (Florida), May 5, 2017

“It’s kind of surprising how often it happens. Our drivers know this, but it was a wake-up call for us to see how many people pass school buses.”
Emily Wicks, Marysville Schools spokeswoman
The Herald, May 4, 2017

 


Editorial: Fines May Get Attention if Buses’ Red Lights Don’t
The Herald (Washington), May 8, 2017

Drivers in Marysville who ignore the red flashing lights and the stop sign paddle that swings out from school buses can expect to find a $419 fine in the mail in the coming days. … While a $419 fine is hefty — as it should be for a traffic violation that involves the safety of children — use of the cameras on school buses should not be viewed cynically as a moneymaker for school districts. As Marysville school and law enforcement officials collect data on the infractions and whether the cameras are successfully providing a deterrent, other districts should consider this as another tool for student safety. If flashing red lights don’t get the attention of some drivers, making scofflaws flash some green should.


Letter to the Editor: Red-Light Crashes Will Rise Without Cameras
Killeen Daily Herald (Texas), May 7, 2017

Now we’re back to having to watch for people running red lights and causing crashes.

Letter: ‘I Feel Safer When Traffic Obeys the Speed Limit’
The Des Moines Register (Iowa), May 2, 2017

The editorial on the traffic camera ruling fails to see the whole picture. Speed cameras have greatly improved safety in driving on Interstate Highway 380 through Cedar Rapids and on Interstate Highway 235 in Des Moines.

Louisiana
In the first three months of 2017, New Orleans issued about 6,790 citations for violations caught by mobile road safety cameras. Another 51,151 citations for violations caught by the city’s existing road safety cameras, a sharp drop-off from the 66,840 that were issued by those same cameras during the same three months in 2016. Source: The Advocate, May 8, 2017.