PHOTO RED LIGHT IS COMING TO DENVER
The Denver Police Department announced the City and County of Denver and Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. have entered into a contract for Redflex to assist the city in implementing a Photo Red-Light Traffic enforcement program. This project has been in the planning stages for several years. The city has evaluated Photo Red-Light programs across the country to determine the best technology and service provider for this traffic safety program. The Denver Police Department believes this contract will provide Denver a state-of-the art digital photo and video program to reduce dangerous side impact collisions at intersections.
Program to Reduce Dangerous Side Impact Collisions at Intersections
The Denver Police Department announced the City and County of Denver and Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. have entered into a contract for Redflex to assist the city in implementing a Photo Red-Light Traffic enforcement program. This project has been in the planning stages for several years. The city has evaluated Photo Red-Light programs across the country to determine the best technology and service provider for this traffic safety program. The Denver Police Department believes this contract will provide Denver a state-of-the art digital photo and video program to reduce dangerous side impact collisions at intersections. Denver's Traffic Engineer in conjunction with the Denver Police Department selected the following four intersections for the installation of the first Photo Red Light Cameras.
- 6th Avenue & Lincoln Street
- 8th Avenue & Speer Blvd.
- 6th Avenue & Klamath
- 36th Avenue & Quebec Street
In the future, the installation of Photo Red-Light Cameras at additional intersection will considered only after the evaluation of the implementation of the program using these initial four intersections.
The next step in this process is to obtain the plans and permits for these intersections. Permitting, installation and training on the Photo Red-Light Program are expected to be completed and fully operational by late May or early June of this year.
Once the cameras are installed there will be a 30-day warning period for red-light traffic violations detected with this photo and video system, as registered owners of the vehicles detected will receive a warning in the mail. After the 30-day warning period registered owners of the vehicles detected running a red light will receive a notice of violation in the mail. The owner will have the opportunity to examine the digital photo and video images and pay the fines outlined using a secure website and personal identification number listed in the notice of violation. Traffic summons and complaints will only be issued after an individual case is reviewed by the Denver Police Department.
The main goal of the Denver Police Department Photo Red-Light Program is Public Safety. According to the 2007 Focus on Safety report of The National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, at least 736 fatalities and more than 165,000 injuries were caused by red light running in the United States in 2005. Intersection crashes account for more than 45 percent of all reported crashes and 21 percent of fatalities. In 2003, 9,213 Americans died as a result of an intersection-related crash — a rate of more than one an hour.
The Denver Police Department will keep the community updated over the next few months on the progress of this project.
