State, Lockheed close to traffic camera deal
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Transportation Writer
The state is moving ahead with plans to install traffic cameras to catch drivers who run red lights and speed, despite a protest filed by a competing bidder.
State Department of Transportation officials plan to finalize the contract with company Lockheed Martin IMS within the next two weeks and want the traffic cameras in place as early as November, according to department spokeswoman Marilyn Kali.
The red-light cameras, to be installed at 10 O'ahu intersections, would be triggered when a motorist runs a red light. The camera focuses on the license plate and a citation is sent to the vehicle owner.
Portable cameras placed along 14 state highways and roads will cite drivers who speed.
The competing bidder, Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., filed a protest in July, claiming the state reversed its December 2000 decision to award the contract to Redflex without providing an explanation.
Lockheed had filed its own protest over the state's initial selection of Redflex. The state did the process over and Lockheed won the second time, prompting Redflex to file the latest protest.
Charles Katsuyoshi, administrator of the state procurement office, gave the Department of Transportation permission earlier this month to move ahead with the Lockheed contract despite the Redflex protest.
Asked about the state's decision to go with Lockheed after previously selecting Redflex, Kali said: "The department felt Lockheed's proposal was most favorable to the state."
Kali said Transportation officials will meet with Lockheed this week to discuss a plan to publicize the red light camera program before it is put into service. The company is looking at installing the first four or five cameras within 60 days of the signing of the contract, Kali said.
Redflex's attorney, Lawrence Reifurth, said he is concerned the state is moving ahead in spite of the protest, which is being reviewed by the attorney general's office.
"The state right now is pushing this camera project through by claiming that time is the essence," Reifurth said. "But it took the state nearly three years to put this project out to bid and the delay caused by Lockheed's protest was several months."
Lockheed's traffic cameras have been under the microscope in the San Diego courts system this summer. A San Diego judge earlier this month upheld the use of Lockheed cameras used to catch red-light runners, but ruled that the evidence collected by the devices is unreliable and should not be admitted as evidence against motorists.
The ruling amounts to a split decision in a case that has no direct effect on the use of red-light cameras outside San Diego, but was nonetheless closely watched by camera supporters and opponents. The judge scheduled an Aug. 31 hearing on whether the evidence against 398 motorists should be dismissed.
Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
