Council Gives Green Light to Red-Light Camera Contract

Tri-Cities residents sounded off on Newark’s contract renewal with a red-light camera operator and elected leaders recognized a Newark student for his academic accomplishments during Thursday night’s city council meeting.

All council members approved a resolution to continue using Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc. for Newark’s red light photo enforcement program.

Commander Bob Douglas presented the police department’s review of the program with Redflex cameras since the council first authorized the program in March 2006.

“They’re proactive and efficient,” Douglas said. “If they save the life of a son, daughter, loved one, then we believe the program has value to our system.”

Douglas also cited a February 2011 report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in which researchers concluded that camera enforcement reduced the rate of deadly collisions caused by running red lights by 24 percent in 14 large cities.

You may download the full report here.

The police department presentation showed red-light camera videos of drivers traveling through red lights at Newark intersections. In one video from the intersection of Cherry Street and Mowry Avenue, a car makes a right turn in the middle of a red light and it looks as if the vehicle nearly hits a pedestrian on the crosswalk and an AC Transit bus picking up riders.

Newark resident Michael McClary was one of the 11 community members who took the podium during the public comment period. McClary commented on the video clips that shocked everyone in the room.

“I watched that horror show,” McClary said. “Every last one of those filmed by a camera indicated to me that they did not prevent those horrors.”

Some Newark residents questioned several issues with the red light camera program: from the cost savings to whether the system was fair to drivers.

Newark resident John Prokop said he has seen the light at the Mowry Avenue and Cherry Street change from red to green about three times as he approached the intersection.

“People in Newark don’t wake up and say, 'how many red lights can I run today?'” Prokop said. “If intersections are not working well, if you have to figure out why.”

A Union City resident and a Fremont resident also spoke.

Fremont resident Roger Jones said Newark needs protection if state law on red-light cameras changes.

“Who is to say that some individual gathers the few hundred signatures necessary to put the whole camera business to a public vote.  Who has calculated that cost?” Jones said. “Newark could owe even more. Fifteen times has photo enforcement been put to a public vote in this country and fifteen times it has lost.”

Last week, Jones weighed in on the

Newark resident Tim Jones says he supports the red-light camera program.

“I ride my bicycle around Newark at least three times a week,” he said. “I’ve been run off the road, knocked off my bike. I’m going to be a statistic. Now, if people say that (paying the) $476 fine is more important than me getting run over, then I’d like to talk to them.”

Newark Police Chief Leal Jim Leal acknowledged that the $476 fine is high. He also said the fee is set by state officials.

“The fine is high. I don’t necessarily agree that the fine needs to be that high,” Leal said. “If they want to focus on something that makes sense, focus on legislation that makes sense, focus on the fine itself.  The fine is high, but it’s outside of our control.”

You may review Newark’s red-light camera documents and other agenda items here.

Before the traffic camera hearing, a city proclamation united elected leaders and community members in celebrating a senior.

Nearly everyone gave a standing ovation to 16-year-old Kuhuk Goyal after Mayor David Smith presented the city’s commendation for his long list of achievements, including being named a 2011 National Merit Scholarship finalist.

From his research work at U.C. Berkeley and Stanford University to his musical projects, Newark Patch featured Goyal in a Teen Tuesday column in January.

Goyal gave Cal alums another reason to cheer last night. When the mayor asked him about his plans after graduation, Goyal announced he decided to attend U.C. Berkeley in the fall.

“We wish you all the best and we want to you to use some of your talent here in Newark,” Smith said. “We need young people like you to keep us old people inspired.”

He added: “We may be looking at our next mayor… I’m glad he’s only 16.”

Also at Thursday night’s meeting:

• Council members agreed to reschedule a public hearing to consider a property owners’ objection to the 2011 Weed Abatement Program to April 28. The hearing was set for last night, but the public hearing notice was not published in a local paper due to issues with its production department.
• Council members accepted the completed HVAC upgrade work at Newark Community Center by Cal-Bay Construction. They also accepted a recommendation for Mike Yorks Investigations to conduct pre-employment background checks on public safety candidates.
• Council members agreed to take a summer recess during August, 2011. They also approved the reappointments of four members of the Senior Citizen Standing Advisory Committee: Isabel Ash, Carol McCarty, Mary Hammock and Margrith Reichmuth.