Frisco Puts Brakes on Red-Light Cameras
By ELLEN GOLDBERG
Updated 2:28 PM CST, Wed, Jul 22, 2009
As of midnight, drivers in Frisco don't have to worry about being photographed by a red-light camera.
The city won't be monitoring computer-operated cameras -- at least for now. Frisco is not renewing its three-year contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, the company that operates the cameras.
"It seems like a waste," Frisco resident Joe Colangelo said. "They put all that money in to install them, and then now, they are not going to use them."
While cities such as Arlington, Southlake and Richardson are racing to sign new contracts before the state Legislature outlaws red-light cameras, Frisco officials said they're taking a wait-and-see approach.
"If we've curbed the behavior and set the patterns to where people pay more attention at those high-risk intersections, then that’s great," Frisco police Lt. Ray Jewett said.
The city of Frisco has two red-light cameras; one at Gaylord and the Dallas North Tollway and the other at Main and the Dallas North Tollway.
According to the police department, the city's red-light citations peaked at 800 a month, but have dropped into the low 100s.
"Absolutely, those intersections were made safer as a result of those cameras," Jewett said.
From now on, it will be up to Frisco police officers to catch red-light runners, not cameras.
"I hear a lot of people complain, but I really feel like if you don’t run a red light, you don't have to worry about it," Colangelo said.
Unlike many other North Texas cities, the cameras haven't produced any financial revenue for Frisco, city officials said.
Still, should the Legislature give red-light cameras the green light, Frisco police said they will put out a new bid for a company to monitor their cameras.
First Published: May 26, 2009 9:29 PM CST
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