Red Light Camera Installation Has Begun In Bensalem
by Alex Lloyd Gross
It is going to be a while before the red light camera program in Bensalem goes live and starts fining drivers. Preliminary wiring for the underground senors has started at Knights and Street Roads. After that work is done by Armour and Sons Electric, the actual cameras get installed and wired up. Then the testing period starts, to make sure the cameras are positioned right and timed correctly. When all that is done, there should be a grace period where drivers are warned. After that it’s $100.00 per red light violation.
Alex Lloyd Gross File Photo-Delaware Valley News.com a fatal accident at Knights and Woodhaven . This intersection had red light cameras in service at the time of the crash.
Some welcome this as a respite against speeders and people that run red lights. The cameras will catch your right turn on red as well. Proponents point to a reduction in fatal crashes as proof that the cameras are working. While that data is not rock solid, what is rock solid is an uptick in accidents where red light cameras are in use. One only has to look at Philadelphia, Roosevelt Boulevard and Grant or Red Lion Road. You can also look at Knights and Woodhaven Roads.
Most of those accidents are rear end type accidents, where a driver will stop short on a yellow light, causing a driver behind them to make contact with their car. They stopped short because they did not want to chance getting a ticket and stopped quickly.
Red light cameras will not stop left turn accidents where both vehicles clear the crosswalk on a green light , yet still crash in the intersection.
The fine for running red lights caught on camera is $100.00. At this point, township officials were unavailable to answer questions about the program, like where can tickets be contested? What is the process?
Opponents to this program call it a money grab and say tickets issued by the camera would never be issued by a trained police officer. Vehicles caught in the crosswalk but not passing into the intersection are fined. Contesting fines would be burdensome for some, opponents said. Do you contest the $100 and miss work that might pay you $105.00 for the day? Do you miss work and jeopardize your job? If you will make more than $100.00 at work, is it worth it to contest the ticket? It’s a civil violation.
There is no expected date at this time that anyone would go on record for as to when the cameras will go live.