Aldermen OK traffic camera at intersection

06/28/2006

BEVERLY HILLS
Add Lucas and Hunt and Natural Bridge roads to the growing list of intersections where cameras will monitor vehicles to issue tickets to drivers who run red lights.

At a special meeting Tuesday, aldermen decided to contract with a company to install and maintain the lights and send photos the cameras take to the Police Department. The company will get $30 for every $98 ticket the city issues for red light violations, Police Chief and City Manager Joe Collins said.

Collins said the company will test cameras at the intersection within a couple of weeks. Cameras should be functional within about 60 days, he said. The cameras will send the Police Department three photos of vehicles passing the intersection - one before the light changes, another when the light changes and a third when the vehicle passes through the intersection.

Collins said the city is installing the cameras more for public safety than for the money the tickets will bring in. "The intersection is often the scene of accidents, many with injuries," he said. "I guarantee you, if you just sit there five minutes, if you don't see 15 people run that light, you won't see one. It's just unbelievable."