Title
Comprehensive Enforcement of Running Red Lights (NB)
Explanation
On January 10, 2005 the City Commission referred the issue of running red lights to the Public Safety Committee for a review of data and report back. The Public Safety Committee discussed this referral and heard from Gainesville Police Department (GPD) staff. The Committee determined that the GPD Traffic Safety Team provides consistent enforcement of red lights and of other priority traffic concerns, and requested that staff include that information to the City Commission in the report out as outlined below.
A selective enforcement detail is triggered by a request from any citizen, a request from a Neighborhood Crime Watch or any law enforcement officer. As a general rule, the Team will work an intersection based upon observations from traffic officers who determine that there are several drivers violating a traffic control device at any given intersection. A red light detail will normally run for three days and then a determination is made if additional time is needed.
The Traffic Safety Team has concentrated their selective enforcement details at numerous intersections throughout the city but primarily include: SW Archer Road and 34 Street, SW Williston Road and 34 Street, SW Archer Road and 16 Avenue, W. University Avenue and 34 Street, Newberry Road and 55 Street and Newberry Road and 62 Street, NW 13 Street at 7 Avenue and NW 16 Avenue, NW 13 Street and 53 Avenue, NW 34 Street and 39 Avenue, N. Main Street at 8 Avenue and NW 16 Avenue and Waldo Road at NE 39 Avenue. Red light citations have been issued at various other intersections in the city limits.
There have been numerous meetings through the Public Safety Committee, with local Representatives and with members of the House and Senate in an effort to create new laws to allow red light cameras in the State of Florida. This proposal does not appear to have adequate support to become law, although still remains a legislative initiative of the City of Gainesville.
To get a general idea of enforcement efforts, below is statistical information from January 2003 through April 2005, comparing speed, red lights and loud stereo violations. These numbers were selected based upon requests for enforcement of the top three violations in Gainesville. The numbers include all citations from Operations Bureau personnel.
01/01/2003 through 12/31/2003
SPEED - 6680
RED LIGHTS - 3584
LOUD STEREOS - 802
01/01/2004 through 12/31/2004
SPEED - 6956
RED LIGHTS - 4769
LOUD STEREOS - 785
01/01/2005 through 04/26/2005
SPEED - 1217
RED LIGHTS - 1331
LOUD STEREOS - 202
The majority of crashes are not occurring in the intersections from red light violations but from drivers who are following too closely, failure to use due care and failure to yield while making a left turn at an intersection resulting in a vehicle crash.
House Bill 497, known as the Angelica and Victoria Velez Memorial Traffic Safety Act passed the House and Senate on Monday, May 2, 2005. Violation of FSS: 316.074(1) or 316.075(1)(c)1 violation of a traffic control device (red lights) will result in a minimum fine of $125.00 for the first offense beginning October 1, 2005. The fine in Alachua County will be $183.50 with $65.00 of that fine forwarded to the Administrative Trust Fund for trauma centers. A second conviction within 12 months of the first violation will result in the fine plus mandatory attendance at a driver improvement course. If the violator fails to attend the course within 90 days, the operator's license shall be suspended until the course is successfully completed. In addition to the new fine, the points increased from 3 to 4 for any red light violation. This new law should have a definite impact on GPD's enforcement efforts through selective enforcement.
Recommendation
The City Commission accept the Public Safety Committee's report and remove this item from the Public Safety Committee referral list.