Red-Light Photo Enforcement Audit Released

SAN DIEGO -- An independent audit of cameras used to catch red light runners in San Diego recommends the program be resumed and expanded despite complaints of inaccuracy that led to its suspension last year.

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Audit Recommends Return Of Red-Light Camera What Do You Think Of The Cameras?

The audit, released Friday, also calls for changes in the way a driver's speed and location are measured and for additional signs to make motorists more aware of the cameras.

San Diego's City Council, which ultimately will decide whether to resume using the cameras, is expected to hold a public hearing on the issue later this year.

"I continue to support red light cameras in concept because studies show they save lives," Mayor Dick Murphy said. "However, the ... audit does point out flaws in implementation that need to be addressed to ensure fairness and accuracy."

The audit was conducted by a transportation consulting firm, PB Farradyne Inc., hired by the city.

Despite the recommended changes, the report found the 83,931 citations issued by cameras in San Diego since August 1998 were appropriate.

"I hope people take a look at the facts and see that it was operating properly," Police Chief David Bejarano said at a news conference.

Camera critics dismissed the report as unreliable.

"It's all just window dressing," said Coleen M. Cusack, an attorney who is a consultant to a class-action lawsuit seeking to overturn all of the $271 tickets issued in San Diego.

The report found red-light violations dropped 20 percent to 24 percent at intersections with the cameras. But the overall accident rate increased 3 percent at the intersections because of drivers rear-ending vehicles that stopped to avoid a ticket.

San Diego operated the cameras at 19 intersections and planned to eventually have them at 13 more. The program was halted and the audit ordered last June after city inspectors found inaccuracies at three intersections.

A judge in a traffic court case dismissed several hundred tickets, ruling that the per-ticket fee charged by a private contractor violated state law. A city appeal is pending.

To read the 120-page audit, log onto Police Department’s Web site.