Nov 4, 2008 10:20 am US/Eastern
Aventura: 300 Tickets Sent To Red Light Runners
AVENTURA (CBS4) ―
No more Mr. Nice Guy in the City of Aventura.
Police have sent out roughly 300 tickets to drivers caught on camera speeding through red lights at three intersections throughout the city in a three week period.
The red-light camera enforcement program began July 12th and only warnings were issued for the first 90 days in conjunction with a public education campaign to inform drivers about the cameras and the importance of stopping on red. In the first three month 'grace period', Aventura Police sent out more than 28-hundred to drivers caught on camera running the red lights.
On October 11th, police began sending out tickets to those caught on camera running a red light: a $125 fine for the first offense, increasing to $250 for a second offense within a 12 month period, and $500 for a third offense within a 12 month period.
Aventura Sgt. Jeff Burns, supervisor of the Aventura police department's traffic unit, CBS4 news partners at the Miami Herald he was a little surprised at the numbers.
"I was expecting a couple hundred every two months,'' he said. ``And here we are getting 1,000 every month.''
The red light cameras are located at:
• Northbound Biscayne Blvd. at Northeast 199th St.
• Northbound W. Country Club Dr. at Northeast 199th St.
• Southbound W. Country Club Dr. at Northeast 199th St.
• Northbound W. Country Club Dr. at the William Lehman Causeway
• Southbound W. Country Club Dr. at the William Lehman Causeway
"It's surprising how many violations there have been. This system gives us a sense of how dangerous these intersections are," said Aventura Police Sergeant Jeff Burns in October. "Our goal is to stop red-light violators and prevent the collisions and injuries that result from running a red-light. Officers have witnessed several near crashes while reviewing violations."
More cameras are scheduled to be installed throughout the city early next year.
While the City of Aventura contracts with American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS) to operate and maintain the cameras, officers with the Aventura Police Department review and approve each violation before issuing a warning or a citation.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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