Up Close: Traffic lights, cameras for what action?

10:11 AM CST on Friday, February 4, 2005

By Dan Lauck / 11 News

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The city is considering installing cameras to spot drivers breaking the rules of the road. That means everything from running red lights to speeding.

In many ways, the cameras can catch what police can't.

Someday, when the traffic's light, try driving the speed limit in Houston, but hold on tight.

"Everybody speeds," says HPD Officer Matt Davis.

Many, if not most drivers, speed because they're late, or distracted by talking on the phone.

But there are those for whom speeding, tailgating and running red lights has become a way of life. Together, they've made Houston arguably the most dangerous city in America in which to drive. As he uses radar to detect speeders, officer Davis says Houston deserves its reputation. "Absolutely. Like this person, doing 56," he says.

The driver was going 56 mph in a 40 mph zone. This was not a teenage kid, but a middle-aged housewife.

"Please watch your speed. Court date's on the top. Be careful, ma'am," he says to the newly ticketed driver. In Washington D.C., traffic may be whizzing by, but cops aren't stepping out in front of speeders and pulling them over officer Davis was doing.

The Gatso camera, mounted on the dash of an unmarked car, does that for them, snapping shot after shot of speeding cars and their license plates.

The images will be mailed to the drivers, along with a demand for $75.

"We looked at Washington. We looked at various other cities," says HPD Asst. Chief Martha Montalvo.

Asst. Chief Montalvo says HPD Chief Harold Hurtt likes the idea.

"I know that is an initiative the chief would like to pursue," Montalvo says.

It's possible, though that he may never get to them because the city plans to first install another whole set of cameras, These are red light cameras, like the ones that oversee 39 intersections in Washington, D.C.

In Houston there is a gathering storm of protest against those cameras. Many believe it's not about public safety, but about generating more tickets.

"It's to separate you from your money. That's the idea," says truck driver Mike Ballard. He said he didn't think it was about safety.

"We never heard about the city using red light cameras until the city had a financial shortfall," says defense attorney Paul Kubosh.

Kubosh, the Mr. Fix-It of traffic court, says the intersection at Greens Road at 249 is one of the city's most profitable. He says the stopwatch verifies those suspicions.

Drivers sit through a 55-second red light, get just a 12-second green, and then get trapped by a quick yellow.

"Its set up to cause red-light running," Kubosh says.

A study in San Diego found that simply lengthening the yellow light by a second cut violations by 25 percent and adding less than two seconds, cut them by 90 percent.

They also discovered that the company hired to run the program was getting paid per ticket issued and had been shaving time off the yellow lights.

Montalvo vows that won't happen here, but also says she doesn't intend to even try adding a second or two to the yellow lights. She's sticking with the cameras.

"I truly believe this program is going to work, and I don't see the logic of lengthening the yellow light," she says.

To try lengthening yellow lights costs the city nothing. To not try, say those who are suspicious, will deepen the mistrust and could doom all cameras.