Do Houston's red-light cameras really work?

Red-light cams: do they work? Every few weeks, I receive calls from a man named Greg Mauz, a crusader against traffic cameras from Christoval, Texas. via Houston Chronicle

[Terry]

I just lost my job because of these cameras. I was a delivery driver for a auto parts co. the camera is a West Rd. & I45 I went trouugh this intersection 6 times a day 4 days a week. I did not run the lights I would take a right turn onto the feeder many times I could see any oncoming traffic both coming at me or approaching from my left on the feeder Rd. if there was no traffic I would safely proceed without coming to a complete stop a real cop would not have issued a ticket but the camera is just a machine designed to take advantage of any oportunity to pick our pockets. By the time I was aware of the camera, after the first ticket I already had three tickets my company only allows two moving violations per year.

[matt]

first off before you st making excuses for whyyou got firesd and blaming it on the cameras i think you shoul let people know the truth. Number one the violations issued out in houston are not considered moving violations so they would have no affect on your drivers license or your employment. Second of all do not place blame on law enforcment for your inability to obey traffic laws. third there are signs posted warning of the ameras, so if you too blind or just stupid to read signs you shouldnt be driving anyways. It is because of whiny liberal idiots like you that are country is in the place it is. Learn to drive moron and be honest with america.

[Bub]

Yes matt that a fact--With out libs we wouldn't even need lights--I enjoy the comment!

[Enforce the Law]

I am all for enforcing the law, but red light cameras cause rear end collisions from people trying to rush though the damn intersection. And when the citations(money) goes down, the lights can be made to cycle faster.

[Ron]

WHAT IF??? You are from out of state, but work in Houston. You received, back home, a notice of violtaion concerning red light cameras, a picture of your license plate is sent with the notice, BUT-- on the date of the violation you were no where near that intersection, your truck was parked in its usual parking place at work, you had not loaned it to anyone, and both sets of keys for the vehicle were in your possesion.
What avenues are open to contest this sort of thing. The fine is not that much, but it is the principal behind all of this. Can such a circustance be contested,and how would one go about doing so?

[Desi]

Terry wrote:

I just lost my job because of these cameras. I was a delivery driver for a auto parts co. the camera is a West Rd. & I45 I went trouugh this intersection 6 times a day 4 days a week. I did not run the lights I would take a right turn onto the feeder many times I could see any oncoming traffic both coming at me or approaching from my left on the feeder Rd. if there was no traffic I would safely proceed without coming to a complete stop a real cop would not have issued a ticket but the camera is just a machine designed to take advantage of any oportunity to pick our pockets. By the time I was aware of the camera, after the first ticket I already had three tickets my company only allows two moving violations per year.

You said you didn't come to a complete stop.....stop means stop........your guilty ! Blame yourself, no one else !

[Desi]

Ron wrote:

WHAT IF??? You are from out of state, but work in Houston. You received, back home, a notice of violtaion concerning red light cameras, a picture of your license plate is sent with the notice, BUT-- on the date of the violation you were no where near that intersection, your truck was parked in its usual parking place at work, you had not loaned it to anyone, and both sets of keys for the vehicle were in your possesion.
What avenues are open to contest this sort of thing. The fine is not that much, but it is the principal behind all of this. Can such a circustance be contested,and how would one go about doing so?

What if the "tooth fairy" pushed you through the red light........what if, what if, what if !

[Geddy Lee]

Of course these systems are perfect. Just like all man-made computer based hardware.

Here's a tip from someone who learned the hard way - remove your plates next time you sell or trade your auto.

[Desi]

Geddy Lee wrote:

Of course these systems are perfect. Just like all man-made computer based hardware.
Here's a tip from someone who learned the hard way - remove your plates next time you sell or trade your auto.

I agree......I made the mistake of donating my car to the Purple Heart.....big mistake.....I'll burn it before ever donating a vehicle again. Received notices for running Beltway 8 and parking in handicaped spaces. Never ever again !

[lightfoot]

Yes you can Lawer up and fight the ticket in court. Poeple have had the tickets droped. The cameras are only good to a point. If you sell a car the tags stay with it in Texas, so you have to be careful. If they don't go get everything changed into their name, your screwed. You only can go to court.

[Jay]

I think Terry is getting too much heat. However, the law states you must first come to a complete stop and then proceed. You don't roll through a stop sign do you? That could end up kill you with a side impact. The purpose of stoping is to evaluate whether you can contiune safely. I for one am sorry Terry rolled through the stop sign because I have to look for people like that all the time. She should improve drivers training in school. Let's blame his tickets on the ineptitude of the instructors?

[collin]

Terry wrote:

I just lost my job because of these cameras. I was a delivery driver for a auto parts co. the camera is a West Rd. & I45 I went trouugh this intersection 6 times a day 4 days a week. I did not run the lights I would take a right turn onto the feeder many times I could see any oncoming traffic both coming at me or approaching from my left on the feeder Rd. if there was no traffic I would safely proceed without coming to a complete stop a real cop would not have issued a ticket but the camera is just a machine designed to take advantage of any oportunity to pick our pockets. By the time I was aware of the camera, after the first ticket I already had three tickets my company only allows two moving violations per year.

Here is an interesting piece of info - "Red light cameras cannot be used for revenue generation in the state of Texas." There is a whole legislation outlining how the funds must be appropriated. I'd be glad to send a link. Red light cameras are designed to keep people from running lights... or rolling through. I am in the middle of researching this for a mock proposal for my technical writing class at Texas A&M. I find it obnoxious when uneducated people start rattling off "professional opinions." You obviously have the internet. Read some stats instead of making yourself look stupid.

[Daniel]

Just got a ticket in the mail and viewed the vid on website. No doubt, my car did not come to a complete stop when making a right turn on red. Just one question, how can the City prove I was driving the car? I loaned it to a friend that day. I didn't realize the vehicle gets a ticket and not the driver. I don't see myself anywhere in the video evidence.

[Mike]

The exact same thing happened to me. My wife had just had our child the previous morning and I was in the hospital with her. The person driving my car could be a number of different people who where 'helping us out' at the time. We didn't receive the ticket through the mail till a month after the event. I don't remember who had my car at that particular time on that day and the pictures and video don't show the driver. Why should I have to pay for something that someone else did?

[BOI]

It's just another tax and power-grab by the government over the pansy sheep citizans.

[OBSERVANT DETRACTOR]

Hey Collin, thanks for actually knowing what you are talking about, unlike Desi. Turning at an intersection DOES NOT violate this ordinance, and there is no inclusion about whether you legally stop or not while turning. While that is indeed a criminal offense, it does not violate this civil law. However, Harris County has issued many of these incorrect tickets.

"ARTICLE XIX. PHOTOGRAPHIC TRAFFIC MONITORING SYSTEM

Sec. 45-482. Imposition of civil penalty for creating dangerous intersections.

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the owner of a motor vehicle is liable for a civil penalty of $75 if the motor vehicle proceeds into a system location without turning when the traffic control signal for that motor vehicle's direction of travel is emitting a steady red signal.

(b) For a third or subsequent violation of this article committed by the owner of the same motor vehicle during any 12-month period, the amount of civil penalty shall be $150.

[ahmed]

i lost my ticket, how do i pay for it? i dont hve the pin for the ticket

[Rick]

The tickets are made just soft enough that people will pay without contesting. Not a moving violation and "only" $75. It's not worth fighting, they say. I could not disagree more. If I ever get one, I will fight it based on the fact tickets should not be issued to a vehicle, but to a driver. In any court case, no matter how big or small, the burden of proof is on the prosecution. If they ticket the vehicle, they can try to collect the fine from my truck. Good luck. Prove that I myself ran the light and I will gladly pay. Otherwise, piss off.

[Scott]

I got two of these tickets within 2 weeks time at the exact same light on FM 1960 in Humble (the red light camera captiol of Texas). I realized that the yellow caution light on this intersection is only 3 sec. long! Yes, I timed it. Normal lights are 5-6 sec. long. So if you are used to a 5-6 sec. yellow light, you are screwed. In fact a 3 sec. light is so fast, that if you are going 45 MPH, you would almost have to slam your brakes on to stop fast enough if you are about 150 yds away from the intersection when it turns yellow. Which I will now do! I will slam my brakes on and if someone hits me from behind,that is their problem. This is such a money grab, I don't care if how the money is to be spent is spelled out, it is still a money grab.

[Scott]

These cameras are useless! nobody gets in a wreck from someone who runs a red light 0.3 sec after it turns red (like me) because the yellow light was only 3 seconds long instead of the normal 5+ seconds. The moron who runs the light 5 sec. after it turns red is the one you want.