Kpt photo enforcement (Knoxville, Kingsport, Bristol: sales, credit, sales tax)

[C. L. Shelton]

The concept of red light cameras on its face sounds just great. Let’s catch those pesky red-light runners so the rest of us are safe. If one looks a little closer, it may not be all it seems.

Kingsport has seven cameras and accident statistics for the traffic monitored by cameras is as follows –

Period Accidents
May 06-Oct 06 28
Nov 06-Apr 07 26
May 07-Oct 07 31

During the May 07 to Oct 07 period, total accidents were 1,383 so you can see the cameras are only monitoring a miniscule number considering the total. During the May to Dec 07 period – following camera introduction – total accidents each month exceeded a like period in 2006 75% of the time. In December 2007, there were 254 accidents – the most in any month since 1998. I doubt the red light cameras caused this but they might have contributed.

How about the money? Well, in the seven month period July 07 through January 2008, the city collected $957,900 in fines and court costs; after paying Red Flex and the state, $651,856 was credited to the General Fund.

Running red-lights is dangerous and very few motorists do so intentionally. These cameras have been a pretty expensive fix to address barely on accident per week and the cost to the motorist is twice what it is in Charlotte, Nashville and Knoxville.

When I came to Kingsport the natives said the smell in the air was money not "THE EASTMAN." Eastman stopped the smell but the cameras have resurrected same. You might join me in spending your local option sales tax in another locality.

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by CameraVictim

The concept of red light cameras on its face sounds just great. Let’s catch those pesky red-light runners so the rest of us are safe. If one looks a little closer, it may not be all it seems.

Kingsport has seven cameras and accident statistics for the traffic monitored by cameras is as follows –

Period Accidents
May 06-Oct 06 28
Nov 06-Apr 07 26
May 07-Oct 07 31

During the May 07 to Oct 07 period, total accidents were 1,383 so you can see the cameras are only monitoring a miniscule number considering the total. During the May to Dec 07 period – following camera introduction – total accidents each month exceeded a like period in 2006 75% of the time. In December 2007, there were 254 accidents – the most in any month since 1998. I doubt the red light cameras caused this but they might have contributed.

How about the money? Well, in the seven month period July 07 through January 2008, the city collected $957,900 in fines and court costs; after paying Red Flex and the state, $651,856 was credited to the General Fund.

Running red-lights is dangerous and very few motorists do so intentionally. These cameras have been a pretty expensive fix to address barely on accident per week and the cost to the motorist is twice what it is in Charlotte, Nashville and Knoxville.

Before the cameras were installed, drivers ran red lights at those intersections brazenly and w/ relative impunity. I'd frequently see 2, 3, or even 4 cars turn left onto Stone Dr. from Eastman Road, entering the intersection on red...and it made me very angry to see them get away w/ it.

I know that I've been guilty many times of accelerating through intersections as the light turns yellow, but I no longer do that at the intersections w/ cameras and I'm sure I'm not alone.

I'm very pleased that the cameras were installed and I think lives probably have been saved and will be saved in the future because of them. Now, if they'd just crack down on the rampant speeding on Stone Drive, it'd be a much safer area.

There were more rear-end crashes in 2007 than 2006 at the first six Kingsport intersections with red light cameras, but Kingsport police say what’s important is there were only half as many T-bone crashes, which often cause more serious injuries.

"To me, the program is a success and it’s doing exactly what we hoped it would do when we started this process," says KPD Deputy Chief David Quillin.

T-bone or right angle crashes are caused when drivers run red lights, Quillin said. Reducing these potentially deadly crashes at some of the city's more accident-prone intersections were the department's first priority when they signed a contract with Redflex Traffic Systems.
Video Report - More rear-end wrecks, fewer T-bone collisions at Kingsport red light camera intersections

[ComicalMoodyDan]

I don't understand why people complain about these red lights, I think overall they are a good idea. Running a red light after all is illegal and drivers should be paying more attention to the road and if you run one pay the fine. By the way it's stupid to suggest you boycott a city because of red light cameras. Bristol now has a few of these cameras also and Gate City has them at two intersections as well. These cameras are starting to become a trend nationwide and they aren't going anywhere.

Don't want to pay a ticket, pay attention and don't run a red light!