by Joel Addington
Contributing Writer
While many hunted for bargains the day after Christmas, City Council President Daniel Davis was back at work yesterday meeting with Council member Stephen Joost about implementation of the Jacksonville Traffic Safety Enhancement Act – the legislation Joost is sponsoring that would authorize the City to install red light cameras at up to 10 intersections across town.
Davis said he called the meeting to learn more about the research Joost and his staff performed, along with others on the Public Health & Safety Committee, to prepare the bill approved earlier this month.
Joost cited study reports available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“I was amazed by the statistics,” he said.
The unmanned cameras – which will be used to catch speeders as well as red light runners – can reduce accidents by at least 40 percent, Joost said.
“What seems to be the flaw in these things is that rear-end collisions go up in some of the (study) reports,” he added. “But what seems to help is to lengthen the yellow light timing.”
A study in Philadelphia reported that prolonging yellow lights dropped accidents by an additional 30 percent, said Joost.
“It was clear to me that increasing yellow light timing and (using) red light cameras work,” he said.
Davis requested the research materials and also that in two weeks they meet again along with Sheriff John Rutherford and a representative from a camera installation company intending to bid on the project.
Joost also hopes to report back on activities by state legislators that could allow the cameras to be mounted on signals on state roads, something against the Florida Department of Transportation’s current policy. If the policy doesn’t change though, cameras could be placed on private property leased to the City, said Joost.
“Let us know what the legislature is going to do,” said Davis. “We may need a resolution to the state.”
Davis said he also wants to better understand how much revenue the red light cameras could generate for the City’s general fund.
According to the legislation passed two weeks ago, red light infractions will cost drivers $125 and speeders could pay between $175 and $300.
Joost said in Washington, D.C. that 13 cameras generated $9 million in seven months.
With such big dollar amounts, Davis suggested setting up a trust fund or some other mechanism to “have better control over how the dollars are spent.”
Westside resident Mack Shortt sat in on the public meeting and wanted to make sure owners of stolen cars would not be “victimized twice” when thieves run red lights or speed.
“We need to clarify how that works,” said Davis.
Both Council members agreed they’d speak with Rutherford about such instances.