Results tagged “redlight”

The City says no, that intersections with red light cameras are not more dangerous with them, pointing out that red light runner crashes are down. That may be true, but an investigative report by CBS2 finds that accidents are up at most of the red-light camera intersections if you include crashes caused by people stopping earlier than expected to avoid running a red light.

Just like they eventually did with the Orange Line, Metro is beginning to install red light enforcement cameras along the Gold Line. By the end of August, the agency expects to have installation complete at a few intersections along First Street. An opening date for the new light rail line between Union Station and East LA has not been announced.

The company contracted by Los Angeles to install, maintain and monitor cameras that record drivers running red lights, eventually prompting a costly traffic ticket by mail, has filed for a court receivership, an alternative to bankruptcy. Now city officials are looking at what options they have when the contract expires with Nestor Traffic Systems, which could go out of business or be purchased by a another company.

If there's anyone who shouldn't be running red lights, it's civilian city employees for the Department of Transportation. Instead of being examples to the community on how citizens should drive, we often witness them blowing past stop signs and running red lights on right turns (oh, the "California stop"). This morning, we happened to witness such an incident and catch the license plate number.

Bicycle advocate Alex Thompson wrote on his blog that he ran various red lights last night in Santa Monica. He explains his actions. "Because the decrepit signals wouldn’t change for me. Every time I visit Santa Monica City Council I run the light in front of the Police Department. I wait and wait and wait before I realize that the signal is not going to change for me. Then I look around, make sure there aren’t any police about, and I run it."

"I looked to make sure. I wasn't being unsafe," Porcia London told the LA Times in a report about red-light enforcement cameras that questions if they are for revenue or safety. The issue at hand is that in Los Angeles, it is estimated that 80% of the photo-enforced tickets go to "california stop" right turns. "As London realized that day in court, her turn was illegal because she did not completely stop before turning." Well, duh...

It has been two days, and the dust still hasn’t settled from the embarrassing MTV Video Music Awards, which both the media and public seem to agree was the worst one ever. The reasons for the disastrous show range from the lackluster performance of Britney Spears to the confusing jumble of special performance spaces to the unhinged antics of Kanye West, Kid Rock, Tommy Lee, et al. But I know better. I also know...

Beyonce - "Crazy in Love"

31 traffic collisions in the past two years at this intersection and what do you get? A new Photo Red Light (PRL) system which will activate this morning at 7:30 a.m. with Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and the LAPD. Across the city, the threat of a $381 ticket has reduced the collision rate by an average of 10-15% at PRL intersections. 12 more intersections in the city are slated to receive this technology with today's addition...

We track an award-winning TV writer who worked on Good Times to a homeless shelter and see a Little Old Lady get a jaywalking ticket because she can't get across fast enough (in the same post!). Poets invade Metro and an LAist contributor's new book asks WWJB.

You remember how the City's contract with the Red Light camera providers ran out, so they had to stop using them to give out tickets? Well, your heydey of driving through those intersections at top speeds and deciding your own yellow light entrance/exit time is coming to an end. While the cameras haven't been working since last June, the city sat down and worked out a new contract. Not only that, but they are doubling the number of those damn things. Other cities have found that after installing the cameras, they actually increase the number of accidents at those intersections, most likely from the "OH CRAP!" factor of realizing you're about to sail through a photo zone, and you slam on the brakes. Then the car behind you does a faceplant into your bumper. Whee! The city is spending more than 3 million bucks on the new cameras, so rejoice at your tax dollars in use.