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M I N U T E S <br /> <br /> <br />Eugene City Council <br />Work Session <br />McNutt Room—Eugene City Hall <br /> <br /> February 21, 2007 <br /> Noon <br /> <br />COUNCILORS PRESENT: Jennifer Solomon, Andrea Ortiz, Alan Zelenka, Betty Taylor, Mike Clark, <br />Bonny Bettman, Chris Pryor, George Poling. <br /> <br /> <br />Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. <br /> <br /> <br />A. WORK SESSION: <br />Traffic Safety Options <br /> <br />City Manager Taylor welcomed Tom Larsen, Traffic Engineer for the Public Works Department, to the <br />table. <br /> <br />Mr. Larsen stated that much had been done over the last several years. He noted that the installation of <br />cameras at red lights had at one time been a council goal. He related that in the late 1990s there had been a <br />lot of support for this, but since then there had been lawsuits and problems with some of the systems in some <br />cities. <br /> <br />Mr. Larsen reported that between 32 percent and 48 percent of people who run red lights were doing it with <br />some level of intention. He related that the Public Works Department had already made changes recom- <br />mended by the Institute for Transportation Engineering, such as installing 12-inch signal heads, using light <br />emitting diode (LED) lights in signals, and extending or reducing the yellow intervals. He said there had <br />been a large number of enforcement efforts. He stated that the cities of Albany and Salem intended to install <br />red light cameras and there was a bill in the State Legislature that sought to allow Milwaukee to install them <br />and to lower the population ceiling for cities permitted to do so. He felt the City of Eugene had taken all the <br />steps it could toward effective red light enforcement with the exception of installing cameras. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor expressed appreciation for the opportunity to take up this issue. He acknowledged that a lot had <br />been done. He underscored that for him this was not an issue of red light cameras or the revenue that might <br />be generated by potential enforcement using this technology; rather, it was an issue of traffic safety. He had <br />observed anecdotally an increase in the number of people who ran stop signs and stop lights. He believed <br />that if a person knew he or she would not be caught, obeying traffic signals became optional. He said <br />because the City did not have the resources to have traffic patrols everywhere and because he wanted to <br />reduce red light running and accidents and to focus on safety at intersections, he wanted to propose an <br />outcome the council would like to see and ask staff to identify ways to achieve the outcome. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy asked if there was a role for people who witnessed a person running through a red light. She <br />also wondered how effective an education effort would be. Mr. Larsen replied that he agreed the incidence <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 21, 2007 Page 1 <br /> Work Session <br />