Watch The Lights

Too Much of a Good Thing

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:27:25 +0000

“There are more violations each day than these officers are able to review” .

KCTV5 Tries To Fool Red Light Cameras And Fails

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:38:28 +0000

One company claims to make your violation a little less clear. The makers of PhotoBlocker Spray said that a driver can spray away a red-light infraction by blurring the person’s tag number when the camera light flashes.KCTV5 asked a professional photographer to test the product. He sprayed the product on a tag and then photographed the plate. The result was still readable, even when the flash unit was set off close to the car.KCTV5 asked the police chief in Sugar Creek, Mo., who has two-red light cameras in his town, to test the spray on his squad car. An officer then ran a red light to see what would happen. The images were then sent to the out-of-state vendor that runs the system.The chief said he doesn’t think the spray works. He suggested that drivers save their money on the can and a possible ticket.

KCPD Chief Corwin Reflects On Red Light Cameras

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:18:24 +0000

The Special Operations Division reports that each red light camera generates about 20 violations per day. At present, there are 20 red light cameras, with another 10 to be installed by the end of the summer. This equates to 600 violations to review per day, or about 4,200 a week.

2300 Tickets In One Month

admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:33:13 +0000

KC Star reports that 9 active cameras in Kansas City generated almost 2,300 tickets in May 2009. Since then 4 more cameras (see our map) were added to the list.

Meanwhile, police said they were struggling to keep up with the workload. A police sergeant supervises six officers who review and approve each ticket, making sure the photographs and video clearly show the car running the red light.

Officers working in shifts review about 400 alleged violations each day. With the new cameras, the number is expected to increase to 600 a day, or 4,200 a week, police said.

The fine is $100 plus $13.50 for court costs.

Are Red Light Cameras Working in Kansas City?

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 11:42:02 +0000

According to the city, the camera’s cut down on drivers running red lights and make intersections safer, but some citizens still don’t like the idea of getting caught on camera.

Newest Red Light Cameras Will Target 71 Highway

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:32:21 +0000

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City will target 71 Highway for three new red-light cameras scheduled to begin operating May 22.

The City Public Works Department announced Friday that work is nearly complete at three intersections along U.S. Highway 71. Those intersections include 55th St., 59th St. and Gregory Blvd.

Five red light cameras went live last week at Wornall and 79th, 63rd and Prospect, 39th and Main, 19th and Walnut, and 27th at Southwest Trafficway. The first site was 39th and Southwest Trafficway.

City officials say the first red light camera worked well and they have generated thousands of dollars in revenue by issuing tickets.

Violaters will be photographed, and face a fine and court cost in excess of $100

Please take a look at our updated map.

KMBC:5 More Red-Light Cameras To Go Live Soon

admin — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:41:05 +0000

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Five more red-light safety cameras will go live on May 4.
The Kansas City, Mo., Public Works Department announced that work on the cameras is nearly complete.
The new cameras are at these intersections:

Wornall Road and 79th Street
63rd Street and Prospect Avenue
39th and Main streets
19th and Walnut streets
Southwest Trafficway and 27th Street

The tickets take a picture of cars that run a red light, and then a ticket is mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner.

You can see a list of all the current active camera locations at kcmo.org/pubworks.

Red Light Stats

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:36:52 +0000

Tony posted Red Light Camera statistics for the month of March.

Red-Light Cams Produce Hundreds Of Tickets

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:03:59 +0000

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Hundreds of Kansas City drivers are paying the price for running the red light at 39th St. and Southwest Trafficway, where the metro’s first red-light camera system was installed last month. More cameras are on the way. KMBC’s Bev Chapman reports that 610 drivers have been ticketed since the cameras started rolling in February. At $100 a ticket, that’s $61,000 in fines and over $8,000 in court costs.

Police said that the cameras aren’t being installed to make money, but to save lives.

A & A Royal Auto Trim sits on the corner of 39th St. and Southwest Trafficway. Alan Paegelow, who works at the shop, said, “We hear a lot of brakes squealing and that sort of thing. People trying to make the red lights and turns when they shouldn’t.”

Paegelow was not surprised to hear how many people have been caught on camera running the lights. “That’s good,” he said. “I hope I’m not one of them, so far.”

Sgt. Kevin Murray has over 70 cases waiting for review. He watches the recordings for violations, and noted that drivers run the red light on average 20 times a day.

“I think once word gets out, people become aware, the number should go down,” Murray said. “That’s what they find nationwide, once the system is implemented.”

The intersection at 27th St. and Southwest Trafficway is next in line for the cameras. That is northbound cars roll downhill to merge onto I-35, and many of them miss the light. Once these drivers get ticketed, the hope is that they will get the message to stop.

Cameras are also due to be installed at 19th St. and Walnut St., 39th St. and Main St., 63rd St. and Prospect Ave. and 79th St. and Wornall Rd. They should be in place by the end of April.

Driver who get a ticket will also receive information so they log into the Internet and have a look to see the violations for themselves.

On The Internet:

Red-Light Safety Camera Program

Italian High Court Overturns Red Light Camera Tickets

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:09:22 +0000

Supreme Court of Cassation in Italy overturns red light camera system.

Tickets issued by unmanned red light cameras violate the fundamental legal rights of Italian motorists, according to a ruling handed down yesterday by Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation. The high court sided with motorist Lorenzo S. who had received a ticket in the mail from a private company operating on behalf of the city of Modena six years ago.

“The lack of agents working in that location precludes the possibility of an immediate challenge in cases where this is possible, circumventing legal obligation in this respect,” Second Civil Division ruling Number 7388 stated. “It also makes it impossible to verify the concrete circumstances in which the automatic detection unit operates, allowing possible misunderstandings, no resolutions with certainty, because of the very absence of agents on the spot.”

The court overturned the decision of an appellate court in Modena and canceled the fine issued against Lorenzo. The consumer watchdog group Codacons celebrated the ruling as the end of automated ticketing machines in Italy.

“This is an important decision because it recognizes the fundamental right of motorists to immediately contest a fine,” Codacons President Carlo Rienzi said in a statement. “The result now is that all those who have received a high fine from a machine without the presence of a policeman can request and obtain cancellation of the penalty.”

The ruling came in the wake of the January arrest of red light camera makers on the charge that they defrauded the government and conspired with over one hundred mayors and local police officials to shorten yellow times to generate profit both for municipal coffers and, in some cases, for the officials themselves.

This week, representatives from the Ministry of Transport confirmed to investigators in Verona that the red light camera model delivered for certification by Stefano Arrighetti, CEO of Kria Inc, differed significantly from the device actually used in the field by more than sixty jurisdictions. The relay component that transmits data between the camera and the microprocessor that determines guilt had never been sent to the ministry for official certification. The evidence provided by the ministry is considered a key element in the case against Arrighetti as the investigation continues.