No Joke; Red Light Cameras Go Live In Doral Today
DORAL (CBS4) – Drivers in Doral be warned, the City of Doral will begin taking photos of red light runners Friday, April 1st and this is no April Fool's joke. Its part of a new "Save A Life" program – a program which some say is merely another way to generate extra revenue for the city.
"I don't like them. I don't like them," said one man as he waited for the light to change at an intersection in Doral Friday.
Another motorist, Mariela Guillen, offered a contrasting view.
"It's the law. Sometimes you have to do these kinds of things, use cameras, to prevent accidents," Guillen said.
"If you do something illegal, why shouldn't you get a ticket for it?" another driver said.
The first safety camera will be located at the following intersection: Southbound on NW 79th Avenue at 36th Street.
Throughout the following weeks, 10 additional safety cameras will be installed in the following intersections:
NB NW 87th Ave. @ NW 36th St./ Doral Blvd.
EB NW 36th St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 87th Ave.
WB NW 36th St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 87th Ave.
EB NW 36th St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 79th Ave.
WB NW 36th St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 79th Ave.
NB NW 97th Ave. @ NW 41st St./ Doral Blvd.
SB NW 97th Ave. @ NW 41st St./ Doral Blvd.
WB NW 41st St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 97th Ave.
EB NW 41st St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 107th Ave.
WB NW 41st St. / Doral Blvd. @ NW 107th Ave.
Additional cameras could be added in the future. Drivers caught on camera running red lights will receive warning notices for the first 90 days; after that they will receive fines in the mail.
Cameras will operate 24-hours a day and capture images of every vehicle running a red-light at the intersection. Warning signs alerting drivers to the intersection safety cameras have been installed prior to the warning period.
Drivers typically pay more than $158 per violation state wide if they are caught on camera running a red light The state's Revenue Estimating Conference has projected that red light camera programs will bring roughly $100 million into the state and $75 million into local governments over the next two years.
Doral city officials say they are implementing the program for public safety.
"Running a red light is very, very dangerous," said Doral spokesperson Helena Poleo. "This, for us in the City of Doral, is about the safety of our drivers."
On the city's website, it states that 676 people were killed; 113-thousand were injured, in crashes involving drivers running red lights in 2009. The website fails to report, however where those accidents happened and if any were in Doral.
State Senator Rene Garcia said the recently passed state law which allows the red light cameras is an "unwarranted, big-brother initiative." He's filed a bill to repeal the law. Garcia said that the red light cameras have simply become a way for local governments to use "these cameras to tax their citizens under the disguise of safety."
Doral officials counter that research by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety shows red light runners cause more accidents and more injuries than any other traffic violators. The institute's research also shows red light cameras have reduced accidents in cities where they're used.
Garcia's bill goes head to head with Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data which shows he cameras saved roughly 159 lives over four years in a study of 14 major cities.
