How To Not Get Jammed Up By Bensalem’s Red Light Camera
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Imagine a few days from now, you are driving about 1:50 AM on Street Road, heading towards Southampton. About 100 feet in front of you, the light turns yellow. You have to make a right onto Knights Rd. You slow down and decide not to chance the light, you don’t want a ticket. As you roll up to the intersection, your front wheels go over the stop line. You are stopped.
You can expect a ticket in the mail in a few weeks. Your front wheels went over the line. There is no one on the road but you. The right light camera company would like to thank you for your contribution. A new sign was put up recently with a green arrow light . The sign says “No Turn On Red”, but there is a right turn signal that you can turn on. As long as you wait, behind that stop line until the green arrow shows and only proceed then, you should be okay.
Since this article first posted, Bensalem Sgt Glenn Vandegrift responded that “They have to run the red light to receive a citation. If they stop 1 foot past the line, it isn’t an automatic citation.”. This may be the case now but many readers have said they got warnings for being stopped, but over the line.. Vandegrift and township officials have made it clear they are not profiting off of red light camera tickets.
Tickets get issued as of 12:01 AM June 1,2024. No warnings. Don’t like it? You can request a hearing at the township building. The hearing examiner will play a video of your violation. The hearing examiner works for the red light company. According to Bensalem Police spokesperson Sgt Glenn Vandegrift all violations are reviewed by a police officer, who has the discretion to not approve a ticket. A police officer could be at your hearing as well.
The biggest moneymaker for this company is not going to be flagrant red light runners, but people that have their front wheels over the stop line. Most people are going to pay the ticket and that is what the red light camera people are hoping for. They want to make money. That No Turn On Red is also going to get people as well. Another gotcha is going to be people in a line of cars waiting to make a left. As the light turns yellow, it is not going to accommodate more than one or two cars, depending on the speed of the turn. If you are behind a slower car and the light turns red as your front wheels hit that stop line, and you roll past it the red light company thanks you.
If you ignore the ticket you are not going to be arrested and your car will not be towed, according to Vandegrift. “This is a civil matter”. You will be referred to a collection agency. Of course the best solution is to not go through the red light. Some people will try to obstruct their license plates. When caught, there are fines for that as well.
The law regarding traffic fines and payments regarding red light cameras in Pennsylvania. is below.
(2) Payment must be made personally, through an authorized agent, electronically or by mailing both payment and the notice of violation to the system administrator. Payment by mail must be made only by money order, credit card or check made payable to the system administrator. The system administrator shall remit the fine, less the system administrator’s operation and maintenance costs necessitated by this section, to the department for deposit into a restricted receipts account in the Motor License Fund. Fines deposited in the fund under this paragraph shall be used by the department to develop, by regulation, a Transportation Enhancements Grant Program. The department shall award transportation enhancement grants on a competitive basis. The department may pay any actual administrative costs arising from its administration of this section. The department may not reserve, designate or set aside any specific level of funds or percentage of funds to an applicant prior to the completion of the application process, nor may the department designate a set percentage of funds to an applicant. Grants shall be awarded by the department based on the majority vote of a selection committee consisting of four representatives, with the secretary or his designee serving as chairman, of the department appointed by the secretary and four members appointed by the mayor of the city of the first class. Priority shall be given to applications seeking grant funds for transportation enhancements in the municipality where the automated red light camera system is operated.
Red light cameras are up at Knights and Street Roads and Route 1 and Old Lincoln Highway.