The Pueblo Chieftain Online :: Traffic cameras to be installed by August
By JEFF TUCKER THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
June 20, 2008 02:15 am
The city of Pueblo's traffic division is hoping to have its new red light cameras installed by August. Traffic Director Pepper Whittlef said the city still is narrowing its list of possible intersections for the cameras, and meeting with consultants and officials from the Colorado Department of Transportation about where to install them. The city will be required to install sensors into the street leading up to the intersection in order for the cameras to work. "The city's shooting for August. That's our desire," Whittlef said. The sensors, shaped like hockey pucks, will create a virtual line across the street and will send a signal to the camera to shoot a picture of a vehicle as it crosses the line on a red light, Whittlef said. The city ordinance gives cars a half-second leeway before the camera snaps a picture. Drivers who progress into an intersection and wait for oncoming traffic to clear before they turn left, won't be photographed because they already have gone past the sensors. It's a different story for people trying to turn right. Whittlef said people who come to a complete stop at a red light and execute the right turn legally still may trigger the cameras, but that doesn't mean they will receive a ticket.
The camera probably will be triggered at intersections where there is no turn lane and every ticket will receive an official review, Whittlef said. "If the camera snaps on a right turn and the driver made the turn properly, the police department will kick it out," she said. Whittlef said every photograph will be sent to the police department for review before any ticket is issued. Every picture the camera takes is accompanied by 12 to 16 seconds of video that both the police and the driver may view. Drivers may use the video to protest their tickets if they wish.
City Council approved the cameras on May 29. The city will install the cameras at five intersections and drivers who run the lights face a $75 ticket.
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/06/20/news/local/doc485b5bcc351f4140544582.prt 6/20/2008