The Saga of Red-Light Cameras

They’re on. They’re off. They are back on! Near my office at San Felipe and Loop 610, a camera was previously installed and there was a truck there yesterday to reactivate it.

Admittedly, I received a red-light ticket at that intersection before the camera was turned off as I followed an 18-wheeler through the left turn without being able to see that the light had changed. Ah well, I paid the ticket.

Houston has just been downright schizophrenic about these cameras. City Council first adopted the policy and passed a contract sometime around 2004. The cameras were installed and activated later.

Amazingly, after they were installed, accidents did actually decrease. Studies showed varying data but I can assure that at the intersection near my office, people did slow down on running those lights. Mostly, the traffic there is heavy and people will block the intersection thinking they can get through but cannot. After a couple of red-light tickets, people were waiting rather than blocking the route.

In 2010, citizens raised a petition to have the cameras shut-off. Council Members questioned the validity of a referendum on the issue as the Ordinance had long ago been adopted. At the time, the Parker administration had just come into office and they were grappling with shrinking budgets and many complex issues. The newly-appointed City Attorney deemed that the referendum was legal and the item was placed on the ballot.

Council Member Clutterbuck was the only one to vote against placing the item on the agenda, taking the position that they could not have a referendum on an item that had passed years ago. It turns out that she was right.

The voters decided they did not like red-light cameras by a margin of 53% and the Mayor cut them off.

Alas, nothing is ever so easy in government. Lawsuits ensued. It turns out the City had a contract with a vendor to install and manage the cameras and the contract was not voided just because the voters do not like them. However, there was an opportunity for the City to cancel the contract.

In any case, it has all wound up in the Courts and conflicting rulings have been issued. This week, a Judge ruled that the referendum was actually voided, supporting Council Member Clutterbuck’s original decision. Meanwhile, another Court has issued conflicting directions.

It is all so confusing to this long-time City Hall observer. I presume everyone else is confused as well.

However, one thing I have observed is that some of the City Attorney’s decisions may not have been completely accurate.

This is not the first time we have seen the Parker administration get things confused. The one thing about them is that they stand up and admit their mistakes.

However, we haven’t really heard a clarification on this issue. It seems that the legal minds are still trying to sort out all the innuendo.

One of the things not mentioned in all of this is the red-light camera contract company. It has well-connected Houstonians involved as well as some powerful local lobbyists and consultants. I think this has made a difference in the process.

At this point in time, the bottom line is this – those cameras are reactivating so be cautious when you creep into the middle of the intersection. You will receive a nice gift from the city in the form of a $75 ticket.

The Chronicle has more information here.