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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Traffic Safety Options Meeting Date: February 21, 2007 Agenda Item Number: A Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Tom Larsen www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-4959 ISSUE STATEMENT Councilor Pryor has requested a work session focused on evaluating the traffic safety options available to the City to reduce red light crashes. BACKGROUND In the mid- to late-1990s, many U.S. cities, including Eugene, saw a dramatic rise in the incidence and frequency of red light running. The most common explanations for this increase are incidental resulting from driver inattention or distraction, and deliberate resulting from driver frustration with increased traffic volumes and congestion making it more urgent to get through signalized intersections. The risk of a long delay at a signal vs. the small risk of being cited or in a crash may lead many drivers to believe it is to their benefit to run the red indication. In Eugene, Public Works and Police Department staff perform to national standards regarding traffic signal operation and enforcement of existing traffic laws. City Council History The City Council 2001-2002 Goals included an item for red light running cameras. The staff response is contained in Attachments A and B, the December 5, 2002, memorandum to the council. The May 11, 2005, memorandum to the City Council, Attachment C, followed up on the question of the AIRS upgrade and the status of other red light running programs in Oregon. The October 16, 2006, memorandum to the council, Attachment D, provides more details on the reports from other Oregon cities with successful red light running camera programs. In response to the 2002 staff report, the Police Commission and Budget Committee adopted several strategies including additional Traffic Enforcement Unit personnel and targeted enforcement. Eugene Red Light Running Crashes Specific statistics on red light running and related crashes are difficult to compile and compare. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) Highway Safety Information System estimates that 260,000 red light running crashes occur annually, representing between 16% and 20% of crashes at intersections. Oregon law requires reporting of crashes and the resulting state data base lists several causes for reported crashes including “Disregard of a traffic signal.” Red light running is not specifically tracked in the Oregon crash reporting system. Table 1 compares the five-year history of crashes in eight Oregon cities where “Disregard of the traffic signal” was listed on the crash report as a cause of the crash. Cities are listed in ascending order of rate of disregard crashes per 1000 population. L:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M070221\S070221A.doc