The town of Bristol would place cameras at busy intersections to catch motorists who drive through red lights, under a proposal endorsed by the chief of police.
On Monday night, the Bristol Town Council listened to a pitch from Sensys America Photo Enforcement, an Orlando, Fla., based company, to place traffic cameras at busy intersections like Hope Street and Gooding Avenue, and Metacom and Gooding avenues. A company spokesman and Bristol Police Chief Josue Canario say the cameras will reduce accidents, and they pay for themselves through thousands of new traffic tickets and fines.
“We’re looking to get zero traffic fatalities in Bristol,” said Richard Ledford, a Sensys America representative Monday night. “It’s going to change driver behavior.”
According to data collected by Sensys for the Bristol Police Department, during a 24-hour period that began on Aug. 28, 2014, cameras captured 74 traffic violations at the intersection of Gooding and Metacom avenues. During the same period, 63 violations were captured at the Gooding Avenue and Hope Street intersection.
In 2014, 15 accidents occurred at Gooding and Hope, while 31 occurred at Gooding and Metacom, none of which were fatal.
The program, said Mr. Ledford, is funded by violators whose fines pay the monthly fee to Sensys. That fee, he said, is negotiable, but “a good starting point” is around $4,500 per month. The fee would be paid off from fines collected, and excess would go to the town.
“If violations at that approach don’t cover the fees, we eat it,” Mr. Ledford said.
Sensys America cameras are activated by radar when a car’s speed and distance to the monitored intersection indicate its inability to come to a stop before the light turns red. The cameras capture still photos and video that are reviewed to determine if they are actual traffic violations. Those that appear to be violations would then be relayed to the Bristol Police Department, where an officer would make the final determination whether a ticket should be issued or not.
“We would have the option of issuing a citation,” Chief Canario said.
Given the number of violators, Bristol could stand to reap between $50,000 and $200,000 a year per intersection from the $85 fines. But if driver behavior changes, so too will the fines levied.
“We’re not doing this for the revenue. We’re considering this for the safety,” Chief Canario said.
While the emphasis was put on safety, given the fact that Metacom Avenue and Hope Street are state roads, Chief Canario did say there may be a financial sense of urgency to adopt the program.
“As of right now, the state would receive a portion of the revenue, but legislation has been proposed that the state would no longer receive a portion of the revenue. The state may decide to utilize this program for additional state revenue, if the town of Bristol is not already in an agreement with Sensys America or a similar type company and program,” Chief Canario said in a memo to town officials.
While reducing the number of accidents is said to be the goal, a 2010 student in Providence indicated camera-monitored intersections cause rear end accidents as motorists make sudden stops to avoid red light violations. Leaving traffic enforcement up to cameras could also allow drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol get away with a simple traffic violation while committing a much greater offense.
Under Rhode Island law, traffic violations captured via cameras are not considered “moving violations” and do not accumulate points that could increase insurance premiums. It also allows repeat offender to skirt the Colin B. Foote Act that allows for increased penalties for habitual offenders.
Mr. Ledford said that Smithfield, Cranston and Narragansett are also considering the use of cameras to identify and fine traffic control violators.
Members of the Bristol Town Council agreed that more discussion would be needed before allowing such technologies to be used in Bristol. Some expressed their skepticism.
“Big Brother is watching, and that’s a scary thing,” said council Chairman Nathan Calouro.
Mary Parella, who said she was unfairly issued a ticket by a similar program after going through a yellow light, questioned the validity of the technology.
“I just thought that some day it’s going to come to Bristol and here it is. I just think it’s very unfriendly,” she said.
The council took no action on the proposal but agreed that it warrants further discussion.