 Smile, you’re on candid camera: The General Assembly has made it easier for localities to put cameras on traffic signals. Prime candidates in the city include the Preston-McIntire intersection. |
Red-light runners may soon be smiling for "photo red" cameras at problematic intersections in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. As of July 1, localities have the legal authority to operate traffic signal enforcement systems in the Commonwealth. A bill, passed by the General Assembly in March, states that localities may install photo-monitoring systems at no more than one intersection for every 10,000 residents at one time.
In 2005, the Virginia General Assembly ended a 10-year experiment with "photo red" cameras, citing privacy and safety concerns. Although no ordinances have been passed, Charlottesville and Albemarle officials are now working to formally introduce "photo red" cameras around the area.
"We have actually been pursuing this legislation for a number of years now because our police department felt it could be a very helpful tool in their enforcement efforts," says Albemarle County spokesperson Lee Catlin.
According to her counterpart in Charlottesville, Ric Barrick, the system would be similar to "photo red" enforcement in Washington, D.C. A red-light runner would receive through the mail a picture of his or her car in the middle of the intersection, along with a traffic ticket carrying the standard $50 fine.
City Councilor Dave Norris says that more information about remote traffic enforcement will be presented to Council before a decision is made.
"It brings up some difficult issues, specifically regarding the presumption of guilt on the part of the car’s owner, when in fact it might not be the car’s owner who is driving the vehicle," says Norris, adding that this will be among many topics discussed when "photo red" is brought to Council.
Intersections with the highest frequency of traffic accidents will be considered first for the program, if and when it is approved. Barrick points to the intersections of Barracks Road and Emmet Street and Preston Avenue and McIntire Road as prominent and problematic examples in the city. Some of the truly dangerous intersections, however, fall under the county’s jurisdiction on Route 29N.
"The [intersection] at 29 and Rio is the king of all intersections," says Catlin, adding that traditional enforcement of red-light running is difficult because of the many wide lanes of traffic. "I’ve heard it called the largest one in the state. That intersection is the poster child."
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