CC Minutes - 02/21/07 Work Session

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was increasing. He did not believe a call to the 9-1-1 Center would be appropriate if a person witnessed this type of infraction. Mr. Larsen said in terms of intersection safety, he was not aware of any programs that generated revenue and most had a net cost. Regarding an education program, he suspected that every driver who ran a stop sign or stop light saw the traffic device and knew what it meant; he did not know what could be done beyond that. Eugene Police Chief Bob Lehner stated that from the enforcement angle, a person who witnessed such an infraction should not call the 9-1-1 Center, noting that even if the City of Eugene was a well-resourced community, by the time the call was generated and an officer was dispatched to the scene, the driver would be long gone. He related that the Eugene Police Department (EPD) did enforce traffic laws primarily with its traffic enforcement staff. He agreed that while there was value in educating people about the dangers of running red lights, it would not change the behavior of people who are doing it because they believe they are late, in a hurry, or that they will not be caught. He said this was where red light cameras had some efficacy. He commented that there were a lot of good traffic-related and crime-related studies showing that the effect of a police officer’s appearance disappears soon after the police officer does. He said if the goal was to catch and get the attention of violators in numbers large enough to make a difference, the most cost-effective way the City had available to it would be to install red light cameras. th Mr. Clark echoed Mr. Pryor’s comments. He recounted having an office at Olive Street and 6 Avenue and witnessing approximately an accident per month due to people running the light and the blind spot created by the Hult Center parking garage. He said a traffic engineer came and observed traffic at that location and, because of this study the length of the yellow light had been changed. This had seemed to reduce accidents. He asked if there were comparative studies regarding the change in the yellow pattern and how that affected accidents over time. He also understood that the addition of red light cameras in the City of Beaverton had caused an increase in auto accidents because people would see the camera and slam on their brakes, causing a rear impact. Mr. Larsen responded that anecdotally, the change in the yellow light interval had seemed effective in reducing the crashes caused by people in the tail end of queue. Regarding concern for a potential increase in rear-end accidents caused by a red light camera, he wished to note that in looking at crashes overall a “t- bone” accident was a more severe event. Mr. Clark requested comparative information regarding the changes instituted and what results arose from them. Mr. Larsen indicated he would compile the information for the council. Mr. Zelenka asked Mr. Larsen why the City was seeing this increase in red light running. Mr. Larsen speculated that as the traffic volumes grow and people were more likely to become cut off by traffic signals, there was more incentive to squeeze through a light. He also attributed it to lifestyle changes that saw more people driving from place to place. In response to a follow-up question from Mr. Zelenka, Mr. Larsen stated that younger drivers were overrepresented as were drivers with prior speeding convictions. Chief Lehner stated that while the City of Eugene was experiencing an increase in red light running, there was a table in the Agenda Item Summary (AIS) which indicated that the City of Eugene was still statistically low in comparison with other cities. MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 21, 2007 Page 2 Work Session