Light, camera -- ticket

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Drivers may want to think twice about gunning their

accelerators to beat a red light.

The City Council will consider Monday whether to install traffic

surveillance cameras to catch drivers who run red lights.

“I think it’s coming, and it’s probably inevitable,” said Councilman

Gary Monahan, gauging the support of his fellow council members.

Police officials support the system and say it will dramatically

reduce the number of accidents. Costa Mesa Police Lt. Karl Schuler will

give a presentation to the public and the council, touting the systems

advantages, at Monday night’s meeting.

Schuler said he found that 96% of drivers fear getting hit by a

red-light violator, but 50% admit to occasionally running red lights,

according to his research. He contends the system will make people more

aware of their actions and cause them to drive more cautiously.

City staff has recommended that the council approve a contract with

San Diego-based Nestor Traffic Systems to provide a red-light camera

enforcement program at no cost to the city. Nester is proposing a

“turnkey” program, in which it would install cameras at designated

intersections at no cost, in return for a portion of the fine resulting

from a violation.

The fine for running a red light in Costa Mesa is $271. Under the

proposed agreement, Nestor would received 36% of the penalty, the city

would receive 16% and the state and court system would get the remainder,

a staff report shows.

It is the percentages of revenue that discourages Councilman Gary

Monahan, who said he does not support the traffic surveillance system.

“I don’t support any system that was designed to put money in the

pockets of the equipment company,” Monahan said.

If the system were implemented, Nestor would receive $97.56 for every

red-light violation. About 1,800 citations have been issued this year

alone and 3,186 were issued in 2000, according to a staff report. Using

last year’s figures, Nestor has the potential to make about $310,826 in a

year from Costa Mesa red-light violations.

The company’s profits would most likely be much higher because the

system is designed to catch more violators than traffic officers

ordinarily would, officials said. Schuler said one camera could do the

work of at least 12 officers.

Included in the proposed contract with Nestor is a “monthly minimum”

the company expects to be paid by the city if violations do not exceed

it. Another section allows Nestor to terminate the contract with a 30-day

advance notice if the system is deemed “impractical, uneconomical or

impossible to continue.”

Monahan said the cameras are clearly moneymaking devices. If he felt

the surveillance system would deter accidents, he would support it,

Monahan said.

But law enforcement officials said they don’t care who makes the money

-- safety is more important than dollar signs.

The thing that set Nestor’s product apart from other traffic

surveillance systems, which have been implemented in surrounding regions

-- and the feature which ultimately gained Schuler’s recommendation --

was a collision avoidance function.

The system is designed to delay the signal of cross traffic if a car

is predicted to run a red light, Schuler said. Cameras would greatly

reduce the number of accidents and make roads much safer for Costa Mesa

residents, he said.

From Jan. 1, 1998, to May 31, there were 881 traffic collisions caused

by people running red lights in Costa Mesa, Schuler said. Of those, 419

resulted in personal injury and two were fatal, Schuler said.

If approved, city officials would be required to notify residents of

the surveillance system 30 days before its implementation. Violators

would also receive only warning citations for the first 30 days of the

program.

BOX

TROUBLE SPOTS

According to a citywide study, the following intersections had the

highest collision rates due to drivers running red lights between January

1999 and Aug. 21.

RANK*INTERSECTION*TOTAL COLLISIONS

1*Del Mar Avenue/Newport Boulevard northbound*23

2*19th Street/Newport Boulevard*21

3*Wilson Street/Newport Boulevard southbound*21

4*Merrimac Way/Harbor Boulevard*18

5*Gisler Avenue/Harbor Boulevard*16

6*Fair Drive/Fairview Road*15

7*Fair Drive/Newport Boulevard southbound*15

8*Yukon Avenue/Bear Street-Paularino Avenue*15

9*Adams Avenue/Harbor Boulevard*13

10*San Diego Freeway southbound offramp/Fairview Road*12

10*Royal Palm Drive/Adams Avenue*12