BUFFALO POLICE
Gipson says cameras could reduce accidents
Installing cameras to catch red-light runners at 50 of Buffalo’s most accident-prone spots would cut down on crashes, the city’s top law enforcer said Friday.
Police Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson also told a Common Council committee that he doesn’t believe red-light cameras would cause an increase in rear-end collisions. Critics have cited studies showing that the devices can spur drivers to come to abrupt halts.
The Council’s Police Oversight Committee also viewed graphic videos of cars running red lights and striking pedestrians and causing fiery crashes. The footage was shot in cities that already installed cameras as tools for prodding motorists to obey traffic signals.
Although the Council sought and received state permission to install red-light cameras, the city has yet to pass legislation that would launch the program.
Nor has Mayor Byron W. Brown’s administration sent requests for proposals from companies that operate video enforcement programs.
Lawmakers met with Redflex Traffic Systems, an Arizona company that operates red-light cameras for municipalities around the nation. Company officials said Redflex recently was selected to implement a program in Rochester.
Bad driving behavior sometimes can be cut in half within months after cameras are installed, said Redflex officials. In some communities, crashes caused by red-light runners have plummeted by 80 percent, officials said.
But South Council Member Michael P. Kearns said he remains “a little suspicious” and “nervous” about the program. He thinks better synchronization of traffic signals and extending the length of amber lights would do more to reduce accidents than installing cameras.
“This is basically a money grab and an invasion of privacy,” said Kearns, adding that he will oppose final legislation that would authorize the devices.
The Brown administration has projected that the program would raise $2.75 million annually. Fines would start at $50 but could increase to $75 if they’re paid late. Depending on the deal that is hatched, companies like Redflex share fine revenues in return for absorbing all or most of the program costs. Police would review video and make final decisions about whether motorists would receive citations.
Gipson said once motorists go through a “learning curve,” fine revenues will likely drop after two or three years.
“You can’t set an expectation that this is a cash cow,” he said.
University Council Member Bonnie E. Russell said she views red-light cameras as a way to crack down on irresponsible drivers in a city that doesn’t have enough police officers. Russell said she’s sick of seeing motorists driving recklessly on city streets, then slow down as they cross into neighboring Kenmore or Amherst.
Kearns voiced fears that some people who frequent the Chippewa entertainment district, Allentown or other popular city commercial strips might stay out of Buffalo if the devices are installed.
Ellicott Council Member Brian C. Davis said if the cameras deter reckless drivers from coming into Buffalo, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. The committee took no action on the proposal.
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