3 INTERSECTION CAMERAS SET OFFICIALS HOPING TO REDUCE DEADLY COLLISIONS.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Red-light cameras will photograph vehicles that run stop lights at three intersections in a bid to reduce Lancaster's traffic collisions.

Cameras that will photograph both the front and rear of vehicles entering intersections after traffic lights have turned red are expected to be operating by June or July at all four approaches to Avenue J and 15 Street West; the east and west approaches to Avenue K and 10th Street West; and all but the east approach on Avenue K at 30th Street West.

``We are trying to alter driving habits, not make life difficult for our citizens,'' said Randy Williams, the city's public works director.

The City Council unanimously approved finding and hiring a private firm to operate the cameras in a vote Tuesday night, in the first meeting presided over by newly elected Mayor Henry Hearns and attended by newly elected Councilman Ron Smith.

Under state law, the city must provide 30 days' public notice prior to the start of the operation of the cameras. For the first 30 days of operation, only warning citations can be issued.

The ticket for running a red light brings a $351 fine, of which the city receives about $150. City officials expect about 450 motorists will get tickets - which arrive in the mail - translating to about $67,500 a month in revenue for the city.

But city officials said safety, not revenue, is the reason behind placing the cameras.

``It's a cost to the driver who doesn't use the pedal on the left,'' Vice Mayor Ed Sileo said. ``These are the people causing accidents. These are the people killing people.''

Lancaster resident Lance Hiller said the city should look at engineering options for reducing collisions, such as retiming yellow lights and all-red clearance intervals in which all lights at an intersection are red for a second or two.

``Cameras are a revenue-generating tool that take effect after the offense has occurred,'' Hiller said.

In Detroit and Grand Rapids, Mich., a project using engineering changes in the 1990s reduced intersection collisions nearly by half, records show.

Lancaster officials said they have looked at engineering fixes in the past and that the red-light cameras were another tool for reducing crashes.

A 2002 state audit report said California communities with red-light cameras had about a 10 percent decline in collisions and that their operation generated little or no revenue.

In Santa Clarita, red-light cameras were installed in July 2004 at five intersections. In the first year that tickets were given, more than 5,800 drivers were cited, while injury crashes declined 20 percent at those intersections, city and sheriff's officials said. No motorists beat the tickets in court, officials said.

City staffers believe Lancaster's camera system can be self-supporting. The cost for the system is expected to be somewhere between $35,200 and $61,400 a month, including costs for deputies to review each case to determine whether a violation did occur.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department recorded 203 collisions in Lancaster in 2005 related to vehicles running red lights, up 27.7 percent from 2004. The 2005 red-light collisions caused 238 injuries and four deaths.

In a related move, the City Council approved spending $40,000 to buy five more radar-actuated speed-warning signs, in addition to 17 purchased earlier this year. Signs will be installed by July on streets around 10 local schools: Amargosa Middle School, Cole Middle School, Desert View School, Jack Northrop School, Lincoln Elementary School, Park View School, Sundown Elementary School, Sunnydale Elementary School, Terra Bonita North and South, and Valley View School.

The signs will tell motorists their speed as they enter the 25-mph school zones. If the driver's speed exceeds the posted speed limit, lights will flash, city officials said.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

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LANCASTER'S RED-LIGHT CAMERAS

WHAT: Automated cameras will photograph vehicles that run red lights at three Lancaster intersections. Tickets will be mailed to their owners.

WHERE: Cameras will photograph red-light runners at all four approaches to Avenue J and 15 Street West; the east and west approaches to Avenue K and 10th Street West; and all but the east approach on Avenue K at 30th Street West.

WHEN: The cameras are expected to be operating by June or July. Warnings go out instead of tickets for the first 30 days.

HOW MUCH: Tickets for running a red light cost $351, of which the city receives approximately $150.

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LANCASTER'S RED-LIGHT CAMERAS (see text)