Austin targets red light runners

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas capitol is set to go live with its first red light camera at the intersection of the Interstate 35 northbound service road and 11th Street after launching its robust public outreach campaign with Redflex.

The local photo enforcement initiative, passed in November 2007, has now evolved into the sophisticated "Keep Austin Safe" program. A total of nine intersections have been identified for initial REDFLEXred cameras and additional intersections will be activated this year. All red light camera intersections will be identified for drivers with a traffic sign stating "Photo Enforced."

Austin media coverage of the city's comprehensive public outreach efforts, which were conducted this spring with Redflex guidance, were also very positive from TV to newspapers.

The city is running Redflex' "Excuses" public service announcement in English and Spanish. The Austin Police Department added a city-specific statistic into the PSAs, citing an annual 1,300 accidents related to red light running. 

Additionally, there have been three or more fatalities attributed to red light running during each of the last three years in Austin.

After months of extensive city evaluation, Redflex was announced in March as the new red light camera provider for Austin. The Texas capitol boasts 657,000 residents and one of the largest universities in the world - the University of Texas at Austin.

The selection comes on the heels of the city's challenging red light camera pilot program this fall in which Redflex was directly compared with American Traffic Solutions for one month.

During the Austin pilot, Redflex and ATS were required to install and operate a fully functional red light runner detection system at two intersections on the I-35 frontage road downtown.

The pilot program involved an evaluation of both systems based on a number of factors, including system concept, demonstrated experience in number of systems/programs, quality of output in ratio of violations to violation letters and price.

Redflex significantly outscored ATS with more than double the evaluation points, earning 37 of 40 possible points, or the equivalent of an "A" rating for technology performance, timeliness, and customer service responsiveness.

ATS received 19 of 40 points or the equivalent of a "non-passing grade."

A similar competition was held by the City of Corpus Christi in March 2007 where REDFLEX also was selected, besting ATS and Siemens Energy & Automation.

Redflex' $15.8 million contract with Austin includes monitoring up to 15 intersections over five years, plus two possible five-year extensions. Austin is now the third-largest city in Redflex' family of cities, behind Chicago and Columbus. Austin has a greater population than El Paso, which is closer to 600,000 residents.

Photo credit: Austin Statesman-Journal