New Jersey suspends red light pilot program

Twenty-one of 25 red light camera pilots have been suspended in New Jersey municipalities by the state DOT after it revealed traffic signals were not timed according to program standards. What this essentially means is that the formula used to calculate the duration of yellow lights under legislation governing the pilot program – which ensures drivers have enough time to respond to a red light and prevent a collision – differs from the national formula used by New Jersey DOT when installing traffic signals.

It was also announced that 63 of the 85 cameras around the state have not been adequately tested with their paired signal lights. As a consequence, citations will now not be issued at the 63 locations until sufficient compliance has been determined by the DOT. A DOT spokesperson did reveal, however, that the cameras will remain active throughout the further examinations and any infringements committed during this time will be followed up with tickets if those cameras were in compliance with the necessary standards.

The state legislature authorized the program in 2008 as a way to determine whether or not red light cameras would reduce the frequency and severity of intersection crashes. Many studies point to cameras having a positive impact – particularly in side-impact crashes, the most life-threatening of collisions – although an FHWA analysis conducted in 2005 found that rear-end crashes increased by 8%, a figure that critics jumped on and consistently cite.

20 June 2012