Red lights, camera, action! City watching 36th and Quebec
By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 17, 2008 at 11:13 a.m.
Updated June 17, 2008 at 11:54 p.m.
Denver activated its first red-light ticket camera on Tuesday morning and for the next 30 days will be sending out warnings to drivers who run the light.
Starting July 17, the grace period is over and the fine will be $75.
A video and photos will be taken of any vehicles that fail to stop for the red light at Quebec Street and East 36th Avenue.
The city resolved a controversy over its practice of using the legal minimum three seconds of yellow light time by boosting yellow time at Quebec to five seconds after a Rocky Mountain News investigation into the timing of the lights.
Denver plans to increase yellow times at other intersections where red-light ticket cameras soon will go live - eastbound Sixth Avenue at Kalamath and at Lincoln streets and westbound Eighth Avenue at southbound Speer Boulevard.
Caught in the act?
If you get a warning from the red light camera at Quebec Street and East 36th Avenue during the 30-day grace period, contact us at metro@RockyMountain News.com or 303-954-5247.
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June 17, 2008
11:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
AC writes:
Sounds easy but it isn't always, not in Denver where they purposely have left yellow lights below the recommended timing. That's called a trap. Good that they increased this one, but what about the hundreds of others? Time the lights properly and you reduce red light running.
June 17, 2008
11:37 a.m.
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mytwosense writes:
Wow...anyone else feel that cameras trained on us 24 hours a day is a gross violation of our privacy?
June 17, 2008
11:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
InsGuru720 writes:
So, are you saying you really need your privacy at an intersection. Don't get road head at intersections, you should reserve that activity for highways and freeways. Now, if they start putting automated speed cameras all over the place, and not just at intersections where most accidents happen. Then, we have a real privacy problem.
June 17, 2008
12:01 p.m.
Suggest removal
krvus writes:
About time. I wish we had them at each and every intersection in Littleton. I have almost been hit several times in the recent past by people blowing turn arrows that have turned red. As the first poster said- "Don't do anything wrong (run a red light) and don't worry about getting a ticket." Sounds easy to me too. This could raise enough revenue to re-pave our pothole laiden streets!
June 17, 2008
12:02 p.m.
Suggest removal
hlucki writes:
Smile
June 17, 2008
12:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
mytwosense writes:
InsGuru: "Now, if they start putting automated speed cameras all over the place, and not just at intersections where most accidents happen. Then, we have a real privacy problem."
The erosion of our rights typically doesn't happen all at once. That's how they get away with it.
June 17, 2008
12:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
LingLingfor_prez writes:
Only a matter of time before they have problems that other towns/cities have had. Such as the weekend where they had to refund everyones ticket money because it was hitting everyone that ran a YELLOW light, lol. What a crock!
June 17, 2008
12:32 p.m.
Suggest removal
westwatch457 writes:
Want to avoid this inconvenience? Take your money and presence out of Denver.
June 17, 2008
12:56 p.m.
Suggest removal
farsidefan writes:
Simple to avoid: When the light turns yellow it means, caution prepare to stop. It does not mean gun it like hell and get through because your time is more important than someone elses.
Whatever happened to anticipating the light turning yellow if it has been green for a period of time, taking your foot off the gas and getting ready to stop ?
Granted I have been around a long time in the driving game,but fortunately have only witnessed red light running accidents and not been involved in them.
I have to go run some errands. Hope I didn't jinx myself.
June 17, 2008
1:08 p.m.
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junglegymco writes:
Fresh is right. Until the ticket is physically handed to you by an officer of the court (i.e. a Sherriff), it can't be proven to have been received by the alleged perpetrator and therefore is not a legal ticket. Unless they've changed that law (which I doubt). So if you didn't answer your door when a Sherriff comes a'knockin, it's never a legal ticket.
I'm just sayin . . .
June 17, 2008
1:30 p.m.
Suggest removal
winterwoman writes:
mytwosense,
I also agree that our rights will be gradually erroded rather than a complete takeover. It is up to citizens who feel that the right for privacy is important to draw the line somewhere.
June 17, 2008
1:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
Heidi writes:
"...will give drivers violating it a 30-day grace period to get used to the system."
I'm assuming that there was already a traffic signal at that interection. Shouldn't the drivers already be used to it? Too funny! No cop, no stop. Now they have to worry about cameras.
June 17, 2008
2:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
AC writes:
farsidefan: "Whatever happened to anticipating the light turning yellow if it has been green for a period of time, taking your foot off the gas and getting ready to stop?"
Whatever happened to that? Hopefully it never was and never will be the practice. You don't take your foot off the gas and slow down approaching a green light. And yellow doesn't mean stop, not if you're too close. Yellow means only that red is coming.
June 17, 2008
2:29 p.m.
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Heidi writes:
I slow down a "bit"(not to a granny pace)at busy intersections no matter what color the light is. It's called defensive driving. Usually, your view is obstructed and there is a possibility a pedestrian is present.
Several times at one particular intersection, I have not been able to go on my green light because cars continue to turn in front of me on their red light. It's like a train of rail cars out of control!
June 17, 2008
2:57 p.m.
Suggest removal
freedomfighter1 writes:
Mytwosence
I couldn't agree with you more. I have recieved a ticket from Denver by mail. Attached was a picture of me driving my car. It was taken from the back of a van parked on the side of Kalamath(figured that out later). I called and refused to pay the fine, citing privacy issues, and have heard nothing more about it. I do not want MY GOVERMENT SPYING ON ME IN ANYWAY. I should not have to worry about my goverment invading into my privacy. And yes, if they are going to start putting cameras everywhere (which they have already started doing), then my rights to privacy are slowly dwindeling away.
June 17, 2008
4:11 p.m.
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farsidefan writes:
AC, I didn't mean to totally slow down. My mistake, but anticipate that the light might change to yellow if it has been green for awhile. Defensive driving is the key but not to the point where it is endangering others.
I don't mind people who go through the yellow if they really have no chance at stopping, but too many people will hit the gas and go through the red.
The time difference between running the red and stopping and then continuing when the light turns green is usually 3-4 minutes, 5 at the max. Isn't your life worth that amount of time ?
Fresh, one time someone sent a picture of their check into the local police. They copied a pair of handcuffs and sent the pic back to him.
Pretty funny.
June 17, 2008
4:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
nonayerbsns writes:
WHEN DRIVING, WEAR A MASK. IF YOU GET A TICKET IN THE MAIL, THEY CAN'T PROVE THAT IT WAS YOU BEHIND THE WHEEL.
June 17, 2008
7:12 p.m.
Suggest removal
Arioch writes:
"And yes, if they are going to start putting cameras everywhere (which they have already started doing), then my rights to privacy are slowly dwindeling away."
Let me get this straight...
You're outside of your private residence, in a public place. You're travelling on roads paid for with public funds. For safety reasons, your vehicle has a number of transparent panels commonly known as windows. You are continually surrounded by other people who are also on these roads, also in vehicles that have windows.
And you expect privacy in this scenario?
June 17, 2008
8:41 p.m.
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AC writes:
To me it's not a privacy issue at all. But it's a screwed up bureaucratic thinking issue. The red light problem in Denver is caused pure and simple by bad signal timing. Red light running in some suburbs that have properly engineered signal timing is practically non-existent. Denver needs to get into the late 20th Century at least with its traffic engineering and time its lights to foster safety. Cameras *cause* more accidents than they prevent. If safety is your goal, Denver, do the smart and non-punitive thing.