In the year since Berkeley installed red light violation cameras at three of its most dangerous inter-sections, driving has become safer and residents are, for the most part happier, said Berkeley police spokesman Ed Galvan.
In June 2005, the city began issuing citations to drivers who run red lights at the intersections of University Avenue and Sixth Street, University and Shattuck avenues and Martin Luther King and Adeline Street. About one-third of collisions at these intersections were caused by red light running. according to a city-issued statement.
Though he did not have specific data available, Galvan said there has been tremendous improvement in the safety of those intersections over the past year. "Especially the one by the station on Adeline. That one was notorious for people trying to get to the freeway, people in a hurry to get home," Galvan said.
He also said many people from the community have called or e-mailed the Police Department to say "thank you" for installing the cameras.
Drivers who wants to contest a violation can view the video evidence. Occasionally a violator will complain, Galvan said, but that seeing the clarity and accuracy of the film "kind of takes the wind out of their sails."
Area business owner Maulin Chokshi says that even though he thinks the red light program is working, he has some mixed feelings about it.
Chokshi is president of the University Avenue Association and owner of Bombay Jewelry, which he says has been at its 1042 University Ave. location since 1995.
"I've been in a situation where you're coming off the freeway and if you stop short, the guy behind you will hit you, but if you don't, you'll run the light. So it could work against you if you aren't paying attention. That almost happened to me once," Chokshi said.
Hamid Mostowfi, supervising traffic engineer for the city, praised the steep fine as having a strong deterrent effect. "On average, 100 drivers a month are getting a serious reminder — to the tune of $381 — that running red lights is dangerous. If I got such a ticket, I'd remember for a long time," he said.
In addition to improving safety, the red light program has also benefited the city financially because Berkeley did not pay the camera manufacturers, Transol, any money for the equipment. Instead, Mostowfi says that Transol gets $48 per paid citation issued as a result of the camera surveillance.
Asked whether there could be any ethical concerns as a result of the revenue sharing, Galvan said he didn't believe so because "the company isn't actually out there clicking the buttons. The violators cause that to happen."
Though Mark Schlosberg, police practices policy director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California says there is concern over generalized public surveillance cameras, the ACLU doesn't oppose cameras used only for detecting red light running.
"We have a strong opposition to generalized surveillance cameras. If the red light cameras don't have the capacity to do that, we don't have civil liberties concerns about that," Schlosberg said.
Berkeley police Officer Ross Kassebaum further elaborated that the video has to be triggered by the lights themselves. He said the mounted cameras are stationary and lack the ability to pivot. "They're set once the engineers put them in there," he said.
One area business owner who is not ambivalent about the program is Kirpal Khanna, former University Avenue Association president and owner of Bazaar of India Imports, which is located at 1810 University Ave.
"I personally am glad they put the cameras there because some-times people coming off the free-way ramp zoom right through. I'm sure people who are not in the habit of slowing down or stopping, it's a good warning for them."
Mostowfi said the city is considering improvements to the program, including making the video evidence available online.
Anyone who receives a citation and wants to contest the violation has the opportunity to view the video evidence against them, without an appointment, every Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. or Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Traffic Enforcement Division at 3140 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
For more information, visit the city's Web site, www.ci.berkeley.ca.us.
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