LEAGUE CITY, Texas -- League City will have to send a $75 check to hundreds of drivers caught on camera running a red light after one man noticed a problem with the light and decided to do something about it, 11 News’ Jeremy Desel reported.
Byron Schirmbeck drives through intersection at FM 518 and 45 South in League City three or four times a week and decided to time the lights. Texas law requires a light be yellow a certain length of time to safely give drivers time to react and stop.
Schirmbeck then called League City Police Chief Michael Jez and Jez asked The Texas Department of Transportation to investigate. TxDot found Schirmbeck was right about the yellow lights being short.
The eight-tenths of a second made a difference in more than 1,700 citations issued between October of last year and March. All of those cases are being dismissed. For the nearly 850 people who already paid their citations, refunds will be issued within the next 30 to 60 days.
"Anyone can do this,” Schirmbeck said. “If you have a camera in your city you can go out and time the yellow lights, and report it to the police chief, or the city council or the mayor."
