Crashes Increase at Red Light Camera Intersection

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Updated: 7:30 PM Sep 20, 2011 Crashes Increase at Red Light Camera Intersection It has been almost a year since the red light cameras at Route 29 and Rio Road got the green light, but have they made the busy Albemarle County intersection safer? Posted: 4:53 PM Sep 20, 2011 Reporter: Rachel Ryan Email Address: rachel.ryan@newsplex.com

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September 20, 2011

It has been almost a year since the red light cameras at Route 29 and Rio Road got the green light, but have they made the busy Albemarle County intersection safer?

The controversial safety measure was pitched as a way to discourage drivers from running red lights, thus reducing the number of crashes. New data just released by the Albemarle County Police Department shows the number of wrecks actually increased since the installation of the cameras, albeit barely.

There were 23 crashes between December 2010 and July of this year at the intersection compared to 22 crashes during the same period the year prior. Albemarle County Sgt. Darrell Byers says that's not what they expected to see.

“The numbers have not changed very much, but like I said, what we do see and what we'd like to see, are fewer crashes,” he said. “We have seen one additional rear-end crash over the same period as last year, and we will continue to monitor those.”

The number of crashes on Route 29 southbound and West Rio Road decreased, from eleven to eight and three to one respectively. However, crashes more than tripled on East Rio Road, from two to seven, and increased by one on Route 29 northbound. Despite some disappointing data, Byers believes the cameras have been effective.

As for the drivers caught running a red light, officials say there has not been a big change in the number of tickets issued, noting that the goal of the Photo Safe cameras is not to make money for the department.

“It's not a revenue maker for us,” he explained. “It's actually about safe driving habits. That's what we're out there for, that's what the cameras are out there for and that's what we want to see.”

That's good because Byers says revenue from ticketing has yet to match the $10,000 monthly cost of operating the cameras. So is what we're seeing nearly 12 months later enough to keep the cameras?

“The cameras are going to stay put for now, but we are going to continue to monitor the progress and continue to monitor the crashes at those intersections and see how effect they are,” said Sgt. Byers.

After nearly seven years with red light cameras, Los Angeles eliminated the program in August after an audit showed they had not "conclusively shown to have increased public safety" and ticket collections did not cover operation costs.

To learn more about the Albemarle County PhotoSafe Program, click here.

Latest Comments

Posted by: Pedaleur on Sep 23, 2011 at 08:08 AM

They/you could learn to drive...

Posted by: gary Location: cville on Sep 22, 2011 at 10:33 PM

This does not surprise me! The light is a gimmick WCAV19 should do some research. the light is a ticket trap. One car goes through and then the light changes all of the other cars panick and attemot to go through and h=in return get tickets. That is the fastest changing light in albemarle county and surprise when you get stuck half through oin a yellow light they send you a ticket in teh mail. PLEASE PLEASE GO THERE AND VIDEOTAPE FOR ONE DAY AND YOU WILL WITNESS THE FAST CHAGING LIGHT. What a waste of tax payer dollars.

Posted by: Bro Location: Virginia on Sep 22, 2011 at 10:28 PM

Good story bro... Tell it again. This ticket kick is a joke. Yo... This ain't Cali... This is the V A last time I checked. I don't know if these stats mean much. More people driving up and down 29 it looks like to me. That means bigger risk for a wreck. I know one thing. Those cameras made me slow my roll through those lights. You guys need to chill

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