Cameras could be ticket for bad drivers

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Transportation Writer

O'ahu drivers who run red lights at 10 targeted intersections or speed along 14 state roads and highways may receive a traffic citation in the mail later this year when the state begins using cameras to catch culprits in the act.

	Speedy snapshot
	Here's how the red light cameras will work:
•	A vehicle triggers electronic sensors underneath the road surface by moving into an intersection during a red light.
•	A rear camera will take a shot of the vehicle in the intersection with the red traffic light visible in the picture.
•	A second camera on the other side of the intersection will take a frontal shot of the vehicle, license number and driver for identification.
•	The camera system will then zoom in on the vehicle's license plate number. The data will be sent to a local control center for verification, followed by a ticket mailed to the vehicle owner's home address.

The cameras could be installed as early as this fall, said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali. Lockheed will maintain the cameras for a three-year demonstration project.

Permanent cameras will be installed at 10 major O'ahu intersections to catch drivers who run a red light, Kali said. Using laser technology, the cameras will capture an image of its driver and license plate.

The state also plans to use portable cameras supplied by Lockheed to catch speeders along 14 state highways and roads. The camera will automatically take photos of any car going over the designated speed limit.

Using the photos as evidence, authorities will mail traffic tickets to vehicle owners.

If the cameras reduce traffic violations here, the project will be expanded to the Neighbor Islands, Kali said. The state and city could also discuss possibly placing the cameras on city streets.

The 10 intersections being considered for the red light cameras have had a high number of red-light violations and accidents, Kali said.

One of the intersections is Pali Highway and School Street, where there was a fatal collision Oct. 7, 2000, between vehicles driven by off-duty police officer Clyde Arakawa and Dana Ambrose.

Two other proposed intersections — Punchbowl Street and Vineyard Boulevard, and Likelike and Kahekili highways — were part of State Farm Insurance's annual list of the five most dangerous intersections in Hawai'i.

The portable speed cameras would be used along the H-1, H-2, and H-3 freeways; Farrington, Kahekili, Kalaniana'ole, Likelike, Moanalua, Nimitz and Pali highways; all of Kamehameha Highway in Central and Windward O'ahu, and the North Shore; Fort Weaver and Kunia roads; and Kane'ohe Bay Drive.

Unlike current "speed traps," in which an officer uses a laser gun to determine a vehicle's speed before chasing down violators, the portable cameras require only that a person aim and shoot images of the speeders. The company has hired a retired assistant police chief to run the Hawai'i program, and said it may hire retired police officers to operate the portable cameras.

The state would not reveal the cost of the contract until it was signed by all parties.

Lockheed will reportedly provide and install the equipment at its own expense, but will take a portion of each traffic fine. State officials would not say how much Lockheed would get for each ticket until the contract is signed, but said the company could receive no more than $50 from a basic $77 citation for speeding or a red light violation.

The state had initially hoped to install the cameras in May, but the timetable was pushed back when Lockheed, one of two companies competing for the camera contract, filed a protest with the state over the bidding process and the initial selection of Redflex Traffic Systems Inc.

Both companies were given a second opportunity to make their presentations, and Lockheed won.

As long as Redflex doesn't file a protest, Lockheed can move forward with the project, Kali said.

Kali said the state might also set up "decoy" cameras in various locations.

"We'll have signs saying 'this is a photo enforcement zone,' so if drivers want to run the red light or speed, they would do so at their own risk," she said.

Kali acknowledged that every image taken of a speeding motorist may not result in a traffic citation. Photos that are blurry, or background checks that reveal vehicles with a recent transfer of ownership or that don't match up with the vehicle registration, may be thrown out.

State and local police officials said they believe a camera system will enhance traffic safety by catching more violators and allowing police to devote time to other problems. Authorities handed out 44,448 Hawai'i speeding citations in 1999, 27,465 tickets in 1998, and 28,734 in 1997.

Scott Ishikawa covers transportation issues. E-mail him at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.