Hollywood FL joins list of cities with traffic cameras

Hollywood FL will start using traffic cameras to catch red-light runners. The program is being phased in with a warning period set to end on Jan. 9.

Hollywood has joined the growing list of South Florida cities that have installed traffic cameras to catch drivers who speed past red lights.

The cameras have been in operation since Dec. 9, but the city is phasing in their use with a warning period that will run through Jan. 9.

Those caught running red lights after the grace period will face a $158 fine.

This is just one more way the Hollywood Police Department is using technology to improve public safety,'' city spokeswoman Raelin Storey said. ``This could make a difference at a number of intersections and make it safer not only for drivers, but for cyclists and pedestrians to be on our streets.''

A cadre of South Florida cities have started to rely on the cameras to curb traffic violations. Miami will launch its traffic camera program on Saturday. Other cities that already use the cameras include Pembroke Pines, Hallandale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Miami Gardens and West Palm Beach.

Davie, Cutler Bay, Key Biscayne and Sweetwater are among those scheduled to bring the cameras on board.

Proponents of the cameras say their presence helps reduce speeding and accidents.

A study by the city of Aventura, which installed the cameras in September 2008, found that after a two-year period, crashes in the city dropped 15 percent, down to 200 incidents.

Critics, however, argue that red-light cameras are invasive and are only meant to bring more money to cushion city coffers.

Aventura collected close to $1 million in fines this past year, which helped keep the city's tax rate the same. Miami is projecting the citations could bring $8 million into the cash-strapped city.

``The cameras won't make money if people don't run red lights,'' Storey said. ``This warning period is essentially a period where motorists can ask themselves if they've developed any dangerous and risky behaviors, and make the necessary adjustments before they get cited, or worse, cause an accident.''

After years of failed attempts, state lawmakers this year finally approved the Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, which set statewide guidelines for the use of cameras.

Before the act, cities had their own patchwork of city codes and fees set in place to be able to issue the traffic violations, but in February, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Jerald Bagley ruled that cities could not use the cameras to issue fines to red-light runners, saying the duty rested solely with the state.

The state's new law was seen as a remedy to the ruling, setting a standard $158 fee for the violations, and partnering the state with the municipalities so that cities can enforce the traffic rules, while splitting the revenue with the state.

Hollywood is using American Traffic Solutions to administer its program. The cameras are activated after the traffic signal has turned red. Any vehicles that run the red light will trigger a motion sensor that takes two photos. Violators will get an infraction notice mailed to their home, and will also be able to view the photos online.