Clear Lake is your place for red light running

We have an early winner in the most-run-red-light competition. Take a bow, Clear Lake!

Since the city's red-light camera program kicked off almost a week ago, more vehicles have run the red light at the Bay Area Boulevard and El Camino Real intersection than any of the other nine sites that are monitored by camera, police said today.

Houston Police Sgt. Michael Muench said more than 600 incidents have been caught on camera since the system began working Friday, but about 70 were dismissed after review by officers.

Except for identifying the Bay Area-El Camino Real intersection as the most active, police did not break down the incidents by intersection.

Well, I hope they do for the future. I want statistics, dammit.

Most of the incidents that were dismissed were triggered when a car turned right on red. The system is not triggered by vehicles that make a full stop before turning right on red, said Jim Tuton, CEO of ATS, but cameras may photograph cars that roll through the turn.

"In those instances we go ahead and give the benefit of the doubt to the driver," Muench said.

OK, how many of you out there regularly fail to come to a full stop before making your right on red? How many of you had forgotten that a full stop prior to a right on red is required? Yep, pretty much what I thought.

On a more serious note, Houstonist links to this KHOU story that shows how the fine collection system may break down if too many people challenge their citations.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on September 08, 2006 to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | TrackBack