To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Jennifer Gonzales, Police Chief
Prepared By: Aaron Medina, Sergeant
TITLE:
Title
Red Light Camera Program
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Authorize the Police Chief to issue a competitive request for proposals (RFP) to select a vendor to provide a red-light camera enforcement program, and return to City Council at a future meeting to consider approving a contract to implement the program.
Body
DISCUSSION:
This report is in response to direction from City Council during its meeting on October 19, 2021, to “look into the impacts of adding back in a red light camera enforcement program and provide a report back to Council.”
Automated Enforcement is authorized by the California Vehicle Code 21455.5 and has been upheld by courts. However, a governmental agency that proposes to install or operate an automated traffic enforcement system shall not consider revenue generation, beyond recovering its actual costs of operating the system, as a factor when considering whether or not to install or operate a system within its local jurisdiction. Red light cameras are in use in many jurisdictions throughout California.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), nationwide in 2019, 846 people were killed in crashes that involved red light violations. Over half of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists and people in other vehicles who were hit by the someone failing to stop for the red light. In 2019, an estimated 143,000 people were injured in red light running crashes.
According to the data from the Local Roadway Safety Plan initiative, there were 1,207 injury collisions between 2016 and 2020 in Napa. Of those, 80 resulted in fatal and severe injuries. Eleven percent of the 1,207 injury collisions were caused by a traffic signal or sign violations. In 2020, Napa had 6 fatal collisions, a record high. For the most recent year available for rankings (2019) by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), Napa ranked second highest for overall crashes out of 105 cities of similar size for traffic safety.
For perspective on the amount of traffic in the city, staff compiled data from intersections with City of Napa upgraded video detection systems. This new technology can count the traffic that passes through the intersection. Not all intersections are equipped with this technology. Two intersections with the new technology were used, Jefferson and First Streets and Pearl Street and Soscol Avenue. It is estimated Jefferson and First had over 530,000 vehicles, bikes and pedestrians pass through each month and Pearl and Soscol Avenue had over 680,000.
The Napa Police Department Traffic Unit was disbanded in 2020 due to a staffing shortage. The unit began to rebuild in 2021. It currently is staffed with two full time motorcycle officers and one sergeant. In the same month the traffic data was surveyed; the department wrote 255 citations for all violation types. That equates to .04 percent of the traffic being issued a citation. Due to challenges in hiring citywide and industrywide, there is no timeline to bring the unit back to full staffing with an additional motor officer.
The community is asking for additional traffic enforcement. A grass roots campaign, “Slow Down Napa”, has spoken before the council about traffic safety. The department receives daily requests for additional enforcement all over the city. Our conversations with the public indicate strong support for additional traffic enforcement.
The police department is attempting to address traffic issues through best practices including applying for a grant through the California Office of Traffic Safety for 2023. Unfortunately, the department simply does not have the resources to address the enforcement needed.
A red light camera program can help significantly. There is evidence the cameras, as part of an overall traffic safety plan, contribute to an increase in traffic safety citywide. An IIHS study comparing large cities with red light cameras to those without found the devices reduced the fatal red light violation crash rate by 21 percent and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14 percent.
In Napa, we previously had red light cameras from 2009 to 2017. In terms of increasing traffic safety, the cameras were very successful in reducing injury crashes and crashes overall.
These were reported on August 19th, 2014 to the council.
|
Big Ranch Rd./Trancas St. Jefferson St./First St. SR29/SR121 Soscol Ave./Imola Ave. |
25% reduction (injury) 40% reduction (injury) 47% reduction (injury) 57% reduction (injury) |
20% reduction (non-injury) 43% increase (non-injury) 33% reduction (non-injury) 60% reduction (non-injury) |
Our crash rankings have increased each year since the camera program was stopped in early 2017, indicating higher levels of collisions within the City. In 2017 the city of Napa was the 5th worst in overall traffic safety out of similarly sized cities. In 2018 we were 3rd, and 2019 we were the 2nd highest according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
Red light camera operation varies by vendor, but generally it detects a vehicle failing to stop for the red light and take a video of the vehicle, the violation and the driver. This information is sent electronically to a Napa Police Department employee, who reviews the video, determines if a violation has occurred and causes the citation to be sent. It is a City employee that makes the decision to issue the citationand that also must go to court and appear to provide the evidence.
In addition to lowering injury crashes, the red light program has other benefits as well. The cameras are free from bias or agenda; they do not see race or economic status. They decrease the opportunity for conflict between the offender and the officer. They provide a safer way for the police to contact the violator as opposed to catching up in traffic, thereby reducing liability for the city. They decrease the amount of fossil fuels and emissions for enforcement. Violation fines remaining after the program costs are addressed are restricted to pay for traffic safety programs.
Technology has improved such that an automated license plate reader (ALPR) can be incorporated into the system to provide additional public safety benefit to the city. ALPR has been in use by the parking department for several years and the police department has conducted a pilot program with ALPR. The pilot has been a resounding success leading to the capture of numerous stolen vehicles, felony suspects and even a murder suspect from Vallejo this year.
The department plans to use best practices, to include:
• Using collision data to identify the locations to place cameras
• Ensure light timing conforms or exceeds the standards set by the California Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CAMUTCD) and applicable law. The CAMUTCD defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices on all public streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public travel for California.
• Exercise discretion on slow speed right on red violations depending on traffic conditions (pedestrians, speed, other vehicles, etc.)
• Have clear and transparent due process procedures
• Regularly report data on program violations, success, funds and expenditures.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
None.
Staff has made cost information requests from four red light camera vendors. Two responded and reported there is no upfront cost to the city. The City’s previous program did not require any additional funding. Part-time employees were added to administer the program (each violation is reviewed by a department employee) but their salary was paid out of funds from violations. Currently, the city has sufficient funds to cover the costs of staff for the first two years if needed.
More information on fiscal impact will be available when a contract is brought to Council for approval.
CEQA:
The Police Chief has determined that the Recommended Action described in this agenda report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Red Light Camera Enforcement Presentation
NOTIFICATION:
None.