There is a bit of delay posting this--pun intended. If you have ever wondered why a flash goes off for no reason at the BART station intersection on Millbrae Ave. here is the answer.
Drivers in Millbrae should proceed with extreme caution as red light cameras monitoring traffic lights and intersections have issued the most tickets ever, according to an expert who tracks the citations.
The 2,059 tickets issued to drivers in July are the most in a single month since the system was installed a decade ago, according to Jim Lissner, the operator of HighwayRobbery.net who projects the trend to continue through the end of the year.
The cameras have photographed 34,687 drivers this year who may have violated traffic laws at a stop light, according to the website, resulting in 13,607 tickets issued through September. Lissner projects more than 20,000 tickets will be issued before the end of the year. The amount issued this year is already more than the 11,964 issued last year, which was the previous record high. Some of the tickets can be as expensive as $500.
With the jump, Lissner said he believes Millbrae has one of the most active traffic camera systems in the state.
Here is the best--or worst--part:
“We don’t make money off of the traffic cameras,” he said. “We just make enough money to pay back the contractors.”
I think the DJ article is misleading here in that the "he" who is talking about "we" must be Millbrae Councilman Wayne Lee. If that is true the whole bunch of them should resign out of embarrassment over incompetent procurement practices. If a city issues 13,000+ traffic tickets and doesn't clear a profit it's no wonder they need the County Sheriff to step in and patrol for them. Very sad.
So much for the theory that red light cameras make people more conscious of obeying traffic laws. I hate all the random flashes -- I find them very distracting.
Posted by: HMB | November 26, 2016 at 12:41 AM
Flashes are like lightening as seen up in the hills. Jeez- point the flashers down more. Scares the dog.
Posted by: Cassandra | November 26, 2016 at 08:45 AM
It would be really great if this council man actually gave us some facts and figures to back up his claim. How many accidents are there at their money-grabbing intersections? How does that compare to other busy intersections around here? And how can they not make money on $500 tickets?
Posted by: resident | November 26, 2016 at 02:17 PM
Wayne's World: “We don’t make money off of the traffic cameras,” (Councilmember Wayne Lee) said. “We just make enough money to pay back the contractors.”
Reality: The City pays a total of $40K per month to the camera company and to the City of San Mateo PD to operate the cameras, and gets about $120K in fines each month.
Wayne's World: "Lee attributed the jump in tickets to increased economic activity in Millbrae, as officials have dedicated effort in recent months to improving the city’s downtown."
Reality: The City's efforts in the downtown are to be lauded, but the doubling of ticketing between May and July 2016 at the 101 offramp was too sudden to be explained by anything but humans tinkering with the cameras.
Regarding accidents: The City's own study shows that accidents along Millbrae Avenue have been at the same low level since 2004, didn't go lower when the Millbrae/Rollins cams were installed in late 2006, and actually increased (slightly) after the 2009 installation of the City's cams at El Camino/Millbrae and 101/Millbrae. In other words, because the cameras weren't needed in the first place, they haven't made any difference! (Except for lightening the pockets of thousands of locals and visitors.)
Posted by: Snowball | November 26, 2016 at 03:50 PM
Red light cameras are money grab devices, NOT safety devices. Some 79 California communities have dumped red light cameras or banned them before any were used. There are only 32 active programs left, in a state that once had over 100 programs. Citizens in Millbrae need to protest at EVERY council meeting, in the media, and even on the streets to demand the red light camera program be ended.
James C. Walker, National Motorists Association
Posted by: James C. Walker | November 27, 2016 at 04:18 AM
Yes, including Burlingame if my memory serves.
Posted by: hillsider | November 27, 2016 at 05:04 PM
I wish someone would sunshine Millbrae and ask what changes to the signals have been done to date. A sure fire way that increases red light running is to make the yellow light duration short. Traps drivers into running the red inadvertently.
If there are that many people running the light at some point you have to question the design of the signal and the intersection. Instead of spending so much effort on RLCs, more resources should be spent making sure signals are prominently visible, placed at the appropriate locations, the limit lines are clearly marked and the yellow times meet or exceed the standard. There is a reason that many people are being 'caught'.
Posted by: BMW | November 30, 2016 at 09:30 PM
People who complain about the camera are not honest people.
Abide by the law losers.
Posted by: Turkey Breast | December 01, 2016 at 05:12 AM
For Turkey Breast and BMW
California did require more realistic yellow intervals a couple of years ago and the through movement violations dropped significantly.
Most CA systems now depend on the scam of ticketing safe slow rolling right on red turns that almost never cause crashes. Federal research for Congress showed right on red turns (with or without a full stop) are involved in only six one-hundredths of one percent (0.06% or 0.0006) of crashes with injuries or fatalities.
Tennessee outlawed camera tickets for right on red turns. If CA did this, the systems would collapse in huge financial losses and would all be removed.
James C. Walker, National Motorists Association
Posted by: James Walker | December 01, 2016 at 06:30 AM
I know Wayne. I can ask him about it next time I see him.
Posted by: J. Mir | December 02, 2016 at 12:54 PM
This ran across the desk of Dickinson today. Might be worthwhile investigating why Millbrae is so enamored with the cameras!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/redlight/ct-red-light-cameras-karen-finley-met-20161019-story.html
Posted by: Bruce Dickinson | December 08, 2016 at 08:11 PM
Can't believe all the BS sob stories about camera's. Please give us a break. If you abide by the law you have nothing to worry about. The person who said it is like lightning and upsets her dogs is about the most ridiculous response I have ever seen.
Stop your childish whining.
Posted by: Sheriff Ed Joe Jackson | December 21, 2016 at 07:51 AM