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Letter to the editor

Clearwater considers cameras for its busiest intersections

Clearwater officials are developing a plan that would free police for more vital duties.

By Mike Donila, Times Staff Writer
Published February 14, 2008

Clearwater Vice Mayor John Doran wants to make sure no one else does what he recently did: Run a red light and crash into a car.

In a move to curb stoplight runners and encourage safe driving, Doran is spearheading an effort to install cameras at some of the area's busiest and most dangerous intersections.

The move would capture violators on film and free police to spend more time patrolling neighborhoods where city leaders say they are most needed.

"It has the effect of allowing the police to do things other than camping out at stop lights," Doran said.

On the morning of Jan. 16, Doran was headed east on Chestnut Street in his 1963 red Willys Wagon when he ran the light at Myrtle Avenue and hit the passenger side of a black 1982 Toyota Supra going south. The driver suffered a cut on his right cheek and was taken to Morton Plant Hospital. Doran, who was not injured, was cited for running a red light, which typically carries a $185.50 fine.

"The wreck was a catalytic event ... and definitely provided me with the motivation" to get the cameras installed, Doran said.

Doran, who said he wishes he could "take back that moment in time" when he crashed, said he just wasn't paying attention. He thinks the presence of the cameras will make drivers more cautious when approaching intersections.

The city is in the early stages of putting together a plan. But so far, it appears to have the support of a majority of the City Council. Clearwater attorney Pam Akin is working on a summary of what other cities and counties are doing.

As the plan develops, city leaders are trying to answer important questions. It is not known how much the cameras will cost and whether the city will have to create another position to handle possible appeals from motorists. It is also not known where or how many intersections will have the cameras if the council approves them.

Other local governments, including Hillsborough County and Port Richey, have floated similar ideas.

Doran said he is studying a plan that Apopka, a city of about 35,000 in Orange County, put into place last July. Clearwater leaders said they'll discuss it more thoroughly in the upcoming months.

Apopka officials say after installing cameras at two of the city's busiest intersections, the number of violators plummeted.

Apopka police Chief Charles Vavrek said from July 16 to the 31, the camera captured 289 violators. By December, infractions dropped to 18. The fines are $125, but police say the efforts are about safety, not money.

"I'd have to say it's had a dramatic effect," Vavrek said. "The two intersections we put them in were in the top five for intersection crashes. Now they don't even make the list."

The chief said since the cameras were installed, some residents have told him they are more aware of watching other lights even though they don't have cameras.

Here's typically how the operation works:

Cameras are mounted on or near a traffic signal. Then they're programmed to shoot photos after a motorist runs a red light. A laser detector typically sends a message to the camera, which takes a shot of the driver and the license plate of the violator.

A ticket stating that the driver violated a city ordinance is sent to the car's owner, who can either pay a fine or appeal to a code enforcement officer or board.

The tickets are not state violations, so no points are assessed against a driver's license.

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard said he is leery of installing the cameras because "I've always been pretty cautious about Big Brother," but he said he supports them at dangerous intersections because red-light running has "become an epidemic."

"I think our officers' time could be better spent ... in the neighborhoods rather than the main arteries where we often have them doing red-light duty," he said.

From January through September of 2007, Clearwater police held 37 checkpoints at four of the city's most dangerous intersections: U.S. 19 and Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard; U.S. 19 and Drew Street; U.S. 19 and Sunset Point Road; and Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road.

A total of 1,494 citations were issued during that time.

"As soon as people in our area know we have the cameras," Hibbard said, "you'll see the red-light running decrease overnight."

Mike Donila can be reached at mdonila@sptimes.com or 727 445-4160.

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT

How the proposed cameras would operate

Cameras are mounted on or near a traffic signal. A laser detector typically sends a message to the camera, which takes a photograph of the driver and the license plate of the vehicle.

A ticket stating the driver violated a city ordinance is sent to the car's owner, who can either pay a fine or appeal to a code enforcement officer or board.

By the numbers

4 of Clearwater's most dangerous intersections are:• U.S. 19 at Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard• U.S. 19 at Drew Street• U.S. 19 and Sunset Point Road• Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard at Belcher Road

37 checkpoints at those intersections were conducted from January through September 2007.

1,494 citations were issued at those checkpoint stops.

[Last modified February 13, 2008, 22:50:33]