Cameras to Be Installed at 4 Intersections

Four city intersections known for accidents and traffic violations will be the first in Los Angeles to receive a system that photographs motorists who run red lights, officials announced Thursday.

Cameras will begin snapping pictures by July 1.

Three of the intersections were selected in part because of the high incidence of drivers who run red lights: Figueroa Street and Imperial Highway in South-Central, 3rd Street and Vermont Avenue in the Wilshire district and Westwood and Wilshire boulevards in West Los Angeles.

The intersections, consultant Lockheed Martin IMS found, have at least 24 blatant red light violations each day.

The fourth intersection is Sherman Way and Winnetka Avenue, which recently made a list of most accident-prone intersections.

A report issued last month identified the Valley intersection as one of the worst in the city for accidents. There were 17 reported accidents in the intersection during the 12-month period ending last August.

“We hope that at these locations, and 12 others we will install later, we will reduce accidents and reduce violations,” said John Fisher, a city official.

Despite concern by some officials that the devices may result in an invasion of privacy, the City Council approved the pilot program last month based on the success in other cities where photo enforcement has reduced red light violations by 30% to 50%. Sensors under the street trigger a camera when a car enters an intersection after the light turns red.

Overall, accidents in Los Angeles are up 4% from 1997 to 1999, reversing a downward trend. There are other intersections that ranked higher in numbers of accidents, but they were ruled out for a variety of reasons, including engineering problems such as difficulty in installing cameras, said LAPD Sgt. Robert Rieboldt.