Motorists to see red as warning period ends
$95 fines to follow those who run lights
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Jodi Andes
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHRIS RUSSELL DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Columbus Police Officer Roger Foor with a photo of a car caught in the act of going through a red light 12 seconds after it changed </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Cameras set up to catch red-light runners at two Columbus intersections have been something motorists didn’t have to worry much about.
After all, they got only a warning.
That’s going to change at one minute after midnight tonight.
That’s when infractions caught by the cameras on N. 4 th Street at Mount Vernon Avenue and at E. 5 th Avenue will begin triggering $95 fines.
And if the cameras’ first 24 days in operation are any indication, people will be turning over a lot of dollars. Columbus police issued 1,159 warnings to motorists who ran red lights between March 7 and 31.
"In my wildest dream I never knew ho
w many people were running red lights. It’s amaz- ing," said Police Officer Roger Foor, who is one of two officers who review images to see if an infraction occurred.
The camera at 4 th Street and 5 th Avenue caught one motorist running a red light at 68 mph. The speed limit there is 35 mph.
In another case, a motorist nearly struck a pedestrian, Foor said.
Police counted 416 cases in which they didn’t issue warnings. They included 23 emergency vehicles, which are allowed to run red lights.
Motorists who get notices can check out the details online. They will see still photographs and videos, as well as the date, time, location and speed they were driving.
The infractions are civil offenses that do not add points to drivers’ licenses. The city did not provide detailed information on offenders, such as whether they were repeats, Columbus residents or out-of-towners.
The next intersection to get cameras likely will be Cleveland Avenue and Spring Street, Foor said. They likely won’t be operating until May. Ten other intersections are in the planning stages of having cameras installed.
Still up in the air is whether the Ohio legislature will limit how cities can use the cameras or ban them entirely.
House Bill 56, which passed the House in May, remains in the Senate’s Highways and Transportation Committee. One senator quipped during a March hearing that the bill now has more versions than a Hollywood freeway.
The legislature is on recess, and the bill likely won’t be discussed in hearings again until mid-May, an aide to the committee chairman, Sen. Jeffry Armbruster, R-North Ridgeville, has said.
As the bill stands now, cities could use the cameras to catch red-light runners, speeders in school zones and motorists running gates at railroad crossings. The tickets could be sent to whomever the car is registered to and would carry only a fine, as is the case in Columbus.
One of the areas under debate in the bill is whether police should be required to identify the driver. One version would require cities to prove identity if the owner objects to the ticket, a requirement that some say would mean putting up more cameras to take pictures of the vehicles’ interiors, rather than just the rear of the car.
Columbus officials say that would restrict cities’ powers to enact their own laws. They are anticipating filing a lawsuit if the bill passes, Assistant Safety Director Barb Seckler said.
[email protected]
$95 fines to follow those who run lights
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Jodi Andes
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
Cameras set up to catch red-light runners at two Columbus intersections have been something motorists didn’t have to worry much about.
After all, they got only a warning.
That’s going to change at one minute after midnight tonight.
That’s when infractions caught by the cameras on N. 4 th Street at Mount Vernon Avenue and at E. 5 th Avenue will begin triggering $95 fines.
And if the cameras’ first 24 days in operation are any indication, people will be turning over a lot of dollars. Columbus police issued 1,159 warnings to motorists who ran red lights between March 7 and 31.
"In my wildest dream I never knew ho
w many people were running red lights. It’s amaz- ing," said Police Officer Roger Foor, who is one of two officers who review images to see if an infraction occurred.
The camera at 4 th Street and 5 th Avenue caught one motorist running a red light at 68 mph. The speed limit there is 35 mph.
In another case, a motorist nearly struck a pedestrian, Foor said.
Police counted 416 cases in which they didn’t issue warnings. They included 23 emergency vehicles, which are allowed to run red lights.
Motorists who get notices can check out the details online. They will see still photographs and videos, as well as the date, time, location and speed they were driving.
The infractions are civil offenses that do not add points to drivers’ licenses. The city did not provide detailed information on offenders, such as whether they were repeats, Columbus residents or out-of-towners.
The next intersection to get cameras likely will be Cleveland Avenue and Spring Street, Foor said. They likely won’t be operating until May. Ten other intersections are in the planning stages of having cameras installed.
Still up in the air is whether the Ohio legislature will limit how cities can use the cameras or ban them entirely.
House Bill 56, which passed the House in May, remains in the Senate’s Highways and Transportation Committee. One senator quipped during a March hearing that the bill now has more versions than a Hollywood freeway.
The legislature is on recess, and the bill likely won’t be discussed in hearings again until mid-May, an aide to the committee chairman, Sen. Jeffry Armbruster, R-North Ridgeville, has said.
As the bill stands now, cities could use the cameras to catch red-light runners, speeders in school zones and motorists running gates at railroad crossings. The tickets could be sent to whomever the car is registered to and would carry only a fine, as is the case in Columbus.
One of the areas under debate in the bill is whether police should be required to identify the driver. One version would require cities to prove identity if the owner objects to the ticket, a requirement that some say would mean putting up more cameras to take pictures of the vehicles’ interiors, rather than just the rear of the car.
Columbus officials say that would restrict cities’ powers to enact their own laws. They are anticipating filing a lawsuit if the bill passes, Assistant Safety Director Barb Seckler said.
[email protected]
