By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

Red light camera catches, by intersection

Lewiston:

Russell Street and East Avenue: 1,503 violations

East Avenue and Pleasant/Bartlett streets: 847 violations

Auburn:

Stetson Road and Center Street: 1,248 violations

Minot and Elm streets: 919 violations

Turner and Union Street Bypass: 234 violations

Caught by a red light
Study could result in a law allowing violators to be fined

LEWISTON – Cameras caught 4,751 red-light runners at five Twin Cities intersections during a pilot program designed to gauge whether such an approach is effective.

Researchers will now study the results to see if the cameras made those intersections safer.

“If the data shows that we were able to impact the public, at least it’s a good way to curtail red-light violations,” said Don Craig, director of the Androscoggin Transportation Resource Council.

Researchers from the University of Maine are expected to release a draft report on the pilot program in late August. The results could persuade legislators to let cities fine violators caught on camera.

“Ultimately, we’d like to see if it’s worth it to authorize their use,” Craig said.

The cameras went up in December and the program ended in June.

Cars entering an intersection under a red light and going faster than 12 mph trigger the radar camera. It takes two photos, one just before a car enters the intersection and a second one moments later, when the car is in the middle of the intersection. The photo shows the car’s speed, the location and the time and date the picture was taken.

That information is mailed to the car’s owner, with a note from police warning that the fine for running a red light is $126.

The tickets would have generated almost $600,000 in fines – $302,526 in Auburn and $296,100 in Lewiston – but Maine law doesn’t allow police to issue tickets based on photo-radar systems.

Researchers want to know if the number of violations decreased as drivers learned where the cameras were. But the lack of fines could hurt the results, Craig said.

“Without the ability to charge a fine, it’s tough to say how much of an impact we made,” he said. “Some people get a warning in the mail, and that’s one thing. That’s enough to convince them to slow down. But others won’t pay attention unless it affects them financially.”

Lewiston and Auburn are the only Maine communities that participated in the red-light camera study. The Androscoggin Transportation Resource Center pilot program is being paid for through a $40,000 federal highway grant.