Red-light cameras, speed vans can be done properly
Target the worst offenders with tech
The writers in the Jan. 12 Opinion section are right that Albuquerque should consider re-introducing a speed and intersection program to free up valuable police resources. Rio Rancho councilors voted last year against the wishes of their police to scrap the intersection cameras but double their speed vans. From talking to a few people in Rio Rancho, this was purely based on which program was more popular.
Let’s talk about what makes automated traffic enforcement popular or very unpopular. People want speeders and intersection runners hammered with fines. What they really want though is for only the egregious violators to pay.
How does sending an equal fine to a rollingright-on-red turner deter dangerous T-Bone accidents? It doesn’t. At most it saves some fender benders and near glancing swerves. It is not enough of a problem to warrant the annoyance of thousands of motorists getting fines in the mail for this specific movement at any time of day or night or traffic volume.
Rio Rancho’s rolling right required a 1,000one-, 1,000-two-second full stop in order not to trigger the fine.
Former Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez repeated over and over, that “his” program was only to target red-light runners and speeders in school zones. Over and over he said this, but what Albuquerque management was (allegedly) caught doing was the following:
1. Tampering with yellow light timing.
2. Arbitrarily re-setting speed limits ahead of camera intersections instead of following the proper state speed limit resolution process.
3. Using speed vans outside of school zones and in one case parking one on a sidewalk and claiming “hot pursuit.” Fortunately a judge saw through that one.
4. Failing to notify the public of turning and speed citations at camera locations.
5. Failing to have firsttime offender warnings.
6. Violating safety regulations by placing speed vans dangerously on freeway shoulders and without New Mexico Department of Transportation permission.
7. Setting speed-violation triggers at less than 5 mph over on Coors at 1 a.m. Rio Rancho vans are 11-over and 5-over in school zones.
No, the ideal traffic calming system, whatever it is, employs the least impact to the community while shaving off the, let’s be generous, momentarily cretin drivers, of which we all can be 1 percent of the time. If you’re late, and your small child is at a place with no after hours staff or persons, you’re going to speed, tickets be damned.
Yes, make it a system for all of us and let’s pay for it. Do not insist that the system be “revenue neutral” or you’ll wind up with the same game-playing and “adjustments” to the criteria that threw Albuquerque’s and now Rio Rancho’s baby out with the bath water. The ideal camera and van program will correct the behavior, stop making money, and simply be a cost for added safety but a far lesser cost than constant police presence.