CAMERAS CLICK WITH GRAND JURY PANEL FINDS INTERSECTIONS SAFER WITH RED-LIGHT PHOTOS.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer Red-light cameras, used in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and being considered in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , got the green light from the Orange County grand jury in terms of public safety, although jurors said cities must track revenue to ensure the system is cost-effective. Like officials in Santa Clarita, those in five Orange County communities - Costa Mesa Costa Mesa (kŏs`tə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 96,357), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific south of Santa Ana; inc. 1953. It is a transportation, residential, and light industrial center. , Fullerton, Garden Grove Garden Grove, city (1990 pop. 143,050), Orange co., S Calif., a suburb of Long Beach and Los Angeles, on the Santa Ana River; founded 1877, inc. 1956. Many of its residents work in nearby aerospace and defense installations, and there is light manufacturing. , Santa Ana Santa Ana, city, El Salvador Santa Ana (sän'tä ä`nä), city (1993 pop. 129,873), W El Salvador. It is the second largest city in the country and the commercial and processing center for a sugarcane, coffee, and cattle region. and San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (săn wän kăpĭsträ`nō), city (1990 pop. 26,183), Orange co., S Calif.; inc. 1961. San Juan Capistrano has some manufactures, including aircraft parts, medical apparatus, and boats, but the economy is - reported fewer crashes at key intersections after red-light cameras were installed. In the 16-page report, jurors found a decline in accidents, but expressed concern that officials in the five cities could not determine how much revenue the cameras are producing. City authorities, the report concluded, should have that information before adopting red-light camera enforcement. Andrew Yi, Santa Clarita's traffic engineer, will deliver a report to the City Council in September, a year after evidence from cameras began yielding citations. Like Orange County cities, Santa Clarita doesn't separate revenue from red-light citations and revenue from other traffic- ticket cash. But Yi said the benefits go beyond revenue from tickets. In the first six months of camera surveillance, there were no broadside collisions at the five Santa Clarita intersections chosen for the project. ``If you look at any serious accident, the cost to society is tremendous. If it's a fatal collision - sheriff's, coroner, fire (department personnel) - they all respond,'' he said. He noted there are also intangible losses - ``the losses to families of the dead or injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. .'' The cameras are triggered when motorists enter intersections from behind a limit line or other recognized legal barrier after the light is clearly red. Photographs of the license plate and the driver are snapped and examined by sheriff's deputies, who can have citations mailed to the car's registered owner Registered Owner An individual or organization to whom certificates are directly issued and who, as a result, is recorded on the corporation's securityholder records (as maintained by the transfer agent). . Officials in Lancaster have studied Santa Clarita's red-light surveillance, installed at five troublesome intersections: Newhall Ranch Road and McBean Parkway, Magic Mountain Parkway and McBean, Soledad Canyon Soledad Canyon is a long narrow canyon / valley located in Los Angeles County, California between the cities of Palmdale and Santa Clarita. Soledad Canyon contains the localities of Vincent, Acton, Ravenna, and Agua Dulce. Road and Whites Canyon Road, Bouquet Canyon Road and Seco Canyon Road, and Lyons Avenue and Orchard Village Road-Valley Street. ``We have some terrible accidents here related to the geography and the types of roads,'' said Lt. Gordon Carn of the Lancaster sheriff's station. ``Most roads coming into Lancaster and Palmdale are rural roads with 60- to 65-mph speed limits. Then all of the sudden, you're in the city and people don't slow down. Because of their speed, when they see the yellow light, they can't slow down.'' Lancaster has the dubious distinction of having five intersections among the county's 20 most dangerous, traffic Sgt. Jerry Bluff said. ``I would like to say our city's at the very top of the list, and we don't have any, but we do,'' Bluff said. ``We have some of the worst in the county. We're looking at red-light camera enforcement. Santa Clarita's seems to be off to a real good start. Patricia Farrell Aidem, (661) 257-5251 pat.aidem(at)dailynews.com |
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