County Adopts Red Light Cameras in Unincorporated Areas
Red light cameras at 53rd Avenue and 34th Street West and at 57th Avenue East and 15th Street East will begin operating Oct. 15.
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Drivers beware, Manatee County Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement to bring red light cameras at some of Manatee’s busiest intersections.
Red light cameras at the intersections of 53rd Avenue and 34th Street West and at 57th Avenue East and 15th Street East will begin operating Oct. 15. Drivers will get a one month warning period before they will be fined for running a red light. The fine will be $158.
Manatee County Commissioners planned to implement red light cameras in 2009 but delayed the plan because they could prove too costly for the county after the state took a portion of the fines and the county had to pay for a deputy to review the tapes and signoff on the tickets. There was also some talk within the state of repealing the cameras.
State law clearly allows the cameras and Manatee officials have reached an agreement with Xerox State and Local Solutions, Inc., formerly ACS. The county will pay the company a little over $5,500 a month per intersection to install and operate the cameras. In addition the county will give the sheriff's office more than $66,000 for deputies to monitor the videos and to approve the traffic tickets.
Melissa Wandall, whose husband Mark was killed in Manatee County by a red light runner in 2003, has championed red light cameras across the state and said statistics show that red light violations are reduced between 40 percent and 96 percent where the cameras have been installed.
“For me, this is a legacy of love,” Wandall told the Board. “I wanted my daughter not to be marked by tragedy but to know that when something happens in our lives, we can make a difference. Then healing occurs. It’s not about trying to take away anyone’s rights; it’s about ensuring loved ones come back to us at the end of the day.”
Deputy County Administrator Karen Windon, who helped negotiate the agreement with Xerox, said the goal is simply to get people to stop at red lights.
County officials said local traffic and law enforcement officials will also evaluate the following intersections in coming months to determine whether they will install red light cameras:
Cortez Road and U.S. 41
Cortez Road and 26th Street West
Cortez Road and 59th Street West
U.S. 41 and 53rd Avenue West
U.S. 41 and 57th Avenue West
S.R. 70 and Tara Boulevard
U.S. 301 and 60th Avenue East, near the Ellenton Premium Outlets
Edie
8:48 am on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Just one more way for Manatee County to get money from its citizens. They get enough money from tags and licenses and plates.
Plate Hood
12:55 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
A photo enforcement system has NEVER stopped unsafe driving as it occurs. Blinding and destracting drivers with a searing flash makes our road even more dangerous. Protect your privacy and hard earned dollars with the PlateHood, Your automotive privacy solution. available at: PlateHood.com
Tim Keasbey
1:33 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Very bad idea. This is about money not safety. Most of the excessive fees go out of state to the company who owns the cameras... rip off.
More Info here: http://www.banthecams.org/219-melissa-wandall-using-a-widows-grief-to-scam-the-public.html
Tim Keasbey
1:48 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Also read: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120911/ARTICLE/120919925/2055/NEWS?p=3&tc=pg
Brian Ceccarelli
4:52 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012
There is nothing wrong with red light cameras per se. But there is something very wrong with the federal standards which set yellow light durations. The standards force all drivers in certain scenarios to run red lights. Local engineering foul-ups compound the problems.
The only way to get rid of the red light cameras is for several of you who have gotten fined by red light camera to class action sue your city. A class action will get their attention. The argument is this: http://www.redlightrobber.com/red/links_pdf/Misapplied-Physics-Red-Light-Cameras.pdf.
One cannot argue with the laws of physics. It is not up for debate. And the formula traffic engineers use to set yellow light durations explicitly violates a most basic law of physics.
We are using the argument in Cary, North Carolina.
The judge certified the class-action in June 2012.
Cary, North Carolina terminated its red light camera program in August 2012.
We take Cary to trial the week of January 14, 2013.
canary
9:53 pm on Saturday, September 15, 2012
This was passed without any input from the citizens. It does not make anyone safer. The motivator was the lure of easy money to the county. Shame on you commissioners. When we the taxpayer have to defend that class action suit which will occur, we get to foot the bill. You will get to be out of a job.