FREMONT TO INSTALL RED LIGHT CAMERA AT INTERSECTION
06/20/06 10:10 PDT

FREMONT (BCN)

Fremont drivers with a need for speed will want to be more cautious when crossing the busy intersection at Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard.

The Fremont Police Department will add a red light camera to the intersection on Sunday, according to Geneva Bosques, traffic project manager for the Police Department.

The "automated enforcement camera system'' is activated when the light turns red. Sensors in the road detect when a vehicle enters the intersection and also control the digital still and video cameras to record the incident. The images are then reviewed by police officers who determine whether a violation occurred.

After a 30-day grace period during which red light-runners will receive a warning, police will begin issuing $350 citations for each violation, according to Bosques.

The Fremont City Council voted in September to authorize Redflex Traffic Systems to maintain and install red light cameras for the city, which were first used in August of 2000. As of 2005, the city reduced signal-related collisions by 15 percent with use of the cameras.

The Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard intersection is the eighth in the city to be equipped with the system. According the Bosques, the Police Department expects a reduction in the many traffic collisions and injuries that occur at the intersection.