Additional Red-Light Cameras To Go ‘Operational’ Very Soon In El Paso
By Martin Bartlett
EL PASO — Cameras will be catching red light runners at three more intersections by the end of next week, according to El Paso Police Department officials.
Police officials told ABC-7 that cameras will soon be up-and-running at the following intersections:
Joe Battle Boulevard at Rojas Drive in East El Paso Joe Battle Boulevard at Montwood Drive in East El Paso Redd Road and Resler Drive in West El Paso
Sgt. Jack Matthews is in charge of identifying intersections that are fit the city’s parameters for installing red light cameras. “Once I’ve determined it and we get video analysis … I’ll send my recommendations up to the chief and the chief has the final say on yes or no,” he said.
The city looks at the rate of collisions, the seriousness of collisions and whether or not red light running is a factor in those collisions when it’s trying to decide if a red light camera is appropriate for an intersection, Matthews said.
Matthews said the city is more likely to locate a red light camera in a high growth area than in an area of no or little growth.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of growth out in the Northeast — so we’re looking at several intersections out there,” he said, and indicated the city is looking at several other locations on the East Side for consideration within the next month or so.
However, Matthews said installing a red light camera isn’t the only thing they consider when they learn that an intersection has a high number of accidents.
“We also look at the intersection to see if there’s anything about the engineering that we can change.”
Matthews also said the city’s commitment to using red lights cameras will continue. He pointed to a dramatic decrease in officer-issued red light running citations around the city — even at those intersections without red light cameras.
He said the cameras that have already been installed are probably causing drivers to pay more attention to all red lights and think twice before running them.
