SMART RED LIGHTS MAY BE IN OUR FUTURE (5-2003)

Running a red light is not only illegal, it's dangerous. 
Yet people do it anyway, sometimes on a regular basis. Most 
generally, a motorist will run a red light in an 
unsuccessful attempt to beat a yellow light before it 
changes.

So, to combat the problem, 72 communities across the 
country have installed cameras at red light intersections. 
These special cameras are activated whenever sensors 
indicate someone has gone through the intersection on a red 
light. The camera takes a picture of the offending car's 
license plate and a ticket is mailed to driver's home a few 
days later, along with a copy of the picture.

Advocates of the new technology, which began 10 years ago 
in New York, claim that such devices reduce the incidence 
of running red lights by between 20 and 50 percent. Even 
so, detractors claim they may violate privacy or even be 
used by some communities as a revenue source, in much the 
same way that speed traps are used.

Last week two agencies of the federal government came out 
in opposition to the use of such cameras, except as a last 
resort to controlling red light violations. "Little 
research or guidance has been issued that offers proven, 
effective, and comprehensive procedures that traffic 
engineers, law enforcement officials, and other state and 
local agency managers can follow to implement a successful 
red light camera program," they said. 

Instead, the agencies advocate better policing efforts, 
reduced speed limits, and better timers for red lights so 
that traffic can flow through the intersection more 
smoothly.

Although it may cost more initially, I believe the solution 
is a combination of all those things, and it can be 
implemented through advanced technologies.

Keep the cameras, but instead of (or in addition to) using 
them to enforce law breakers, use them to help control the 
traffic signals to more closely match the traffic patterns. 
Use the cameras to replace those hexagonal in-the-road 
traffic detectors that are used today.

The cameras could be mounted at all heavy-traffic 
intersections so that they take pictures of the traffic 
approaching from all directions. The cameras could be 
linked to a computer system that would then determine which 
direction would get the green light and which cars would 
need to stop. 

If made sophisticated enough, no cars would ever need to 
rush to beat the yellow light because no light would ever 
change at a time when the traffic is in the speed-up-to-
beat-the-yellow position. Or the computer could simply keep 
the light on yellow a bit longer if a straggler was still 
in the intersection. The new computer-controlled signals 
would be more like a live traffic cop.

It would be even more convenient for drivers because, 
during times of light traffic, no one would ever get caught 
by a red light. The camera would see you coming before you 
got to the intersection and give you the green light by the 
time you arrived. And since the computer would determine 
that no cross-traffic was approaching, there would be no 
need to waste time shining the yellow light at all during 
these periods of light traffic.

This kind of traffic control device is probably already 
technologically possible. The big drawback, like with any 
new technology, is cost. But in the long run, it will be 
worth it, because it will make waiting for those long-
winded red lights a thing of the past.