Audit supports red-light cameras

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — An audit of cameras used to catch red-light runners in San Diego recommends that the program be resumed and expanded, despite complaints of inaccuracy that led to its suspension last year.

The audit, released last week, also calls for changes in the way a driver's speed and location are measured and for additional signs to make motorists more aware of the cameras.

San Diego's City Council, which ultimately will decide whether to resume using the cameras, is expected to hold a public hearing on the issue later this year.

"I continue to support red-light cameras in concept because studies show they save lives," said Mayor Dick Murphy. "However, the ... audit does point out flaws in implementation that need to be addressed to ensure fairness and accuracy."

The audit was conducted by transportation consulting firm PB Farradyne Inc. Despite the changes recommended, the report found that the 83,931 citations issued by cameras in San Diego since August 1998 were appropriate.

"I hope people take a look at the facts and see that it was operating properly," said police chief David Bejarano.

Critics dismissed the report as unreliable.

"It's all just window dressing," said Coleen M. Cusack, an attorney who is a consultant to a class-action lawsuit seeking to overturn all $271 tickets issued in San Diego.

The report found that red-light violations fell 20 to 24 percent at intersections with the cameras. But the accident rate increased 3 percent at those crossings because of drivers rear-ending cars that stopped to avoid a ticket.

San Diego operated the cameras at 19 intersections and planned to install them at 13 more. The program was halted and the audit ordered in June after city inspectors found inaccuracies at three intersections.

A judge in a traffic court case dismissed several hundred tickets, ruling that the per-ticket fee charged by a private contractor violated state law. A city appeal is pending.