Camera to catch red light runners in Tucson flashes to illuminate the intersection .
Listen:
A citizens' group filed petitions Monday seeking a public vote on ban cameras used to catch motorists who run red lights.
Members of the Tucson Traffic Justice campaign filed their petitions at the city clerk's office.
The group wants to end photo enforcement of red light running and speeding through traffic intersections.
Group members said they turned in 53,000 signatures. To qualify for the ballot, the measure needs 12,700 verified signatures of registered voters who are city of Tucson residents.
The program has been in place since 2007 and now includes eight intersections. The ban would apply to cameras at those intersections and not to the roving speed-enforcement vans the police department deploys throughout the city.
Opponents of the cameras said they don't trust the program, which takes photos of any motorist and the vehicle being driven when it enters the intersection after a light turns red, or people who are traveling 11 or more mph over the speed limit.
"The cameras often result in fines of $400 for being as little as one-hundredth of a second late in clearing an intersection. Also, there is widespread belief that the yellow lights are deliberately set short so that people who intend to obey the law often can't avoid tickets," said John Kromko, a coordinator of the Tucson Traffic Justice committee.
In a report about the traffic camera program, the city said it was successful at increasing safety.
"Collisions have been significantly reduced at intersections in the years following the installation of safety cameras," the report said.
The Tucson Police Department contracts with a private company to run the cameras, and an officer reviews an alleged violation before a ticket is mailed to the registered vehicle owner.
The cameras are at the following intersections:
- Grant Road and Tanque Verde Road
- Nogales Highway and Valencia Road
- 22nd Street and Wilmot Road - River Road and Oracle Road
- Speedway Boulevard and Kolb Road
- Grant Road and Swan Road
- Broadway Boulevard and Craycroft Road
- 6th Avenue and Ajo Way
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.