Jersey Village City Council voted to relocate eight red light cameras within city limits at its Feb. 17 meeting. The move is an effort to mitigate accidents and control traffic that has worsened since the city's ten cameras were taken offline because of Hwy. 290 construction.
The city previously had ten cameras, all located along the Hwy. 290 frontage road. The Texas Department of Transportation instructed the city to remove seven cameras in April 2013 as a part of the Hwy. 290 widening project. The final three cameras were removed in November 2013.
Since the cameras were removed, Jersey Village Police Chief Eric Foerster said automobile accidents have increased 8.6 percent citywide. Accidents have increased 27.6 percent specifically at the intersections where the cameras were located, with a total of 97 accidents between April 18 and Dec. 31.
Foerster also cited increased traffic along Jones and West roads as a reason to relocate the cameras. Commuters are cutting through the city via Jones and West to avoid Hwy. 290, he said. Since May 2013, 32 accidents have occurred at the proposed intersections where the cameras would be located.
"Jones and West are both pretty much in lockdown mode during peak hours," he said. "We're putting those cameras in locations that will benefit us by effectively moving traffic along."
The eight proposed new red light camera locations are:
- northbound and southbound on Jones Road at Seattle Slew and Jersey Meadows
- northbound and southbound on Jones Road at Village Green
- northbound and southbound on West Road at the Hwy. 290 frontage road
- northbound and southbound on West Road at Castlebridge
Money generated by the city's red light camera system is split between the city and the state, with the city's share going to support its traffic safety program, according to City Manager Mike Castro. The red light camera system generated about $200,000 in revenue for the city each month before it was shut down.
Even with eight cameras reinstated, the amount of revenue coming into the city is expected to fall significantly. The new locations are projected to bring in $68,000 each month. As a result, the traffic safety programs' budget will have to be adjusted moving forward.
"We built up significant reserves in the traffic safety fund, which will allow us to phase the transition of those positions back to the general fund over a couple of years," Castro said.
Castro said he does not know when TxDOT will allow the cameras to be reinstated along the Hwy. 290 frontage road, but it could be as long as 3–5 years.
Texas representative Gary Elkins has sponsored legislation in the past to shut down red light camera systems, claiming they actually increase accidents. Justin McDole with American Traffic Solutions, the company contracted by the city to manage the red light camera system, said statewide studies have found the opposite to be true. He cited a 2008 TxDOT study that showed a 35 percent decrease in side impact crashes at intersections where cameras are installed.
"Some studies show a slight increase in rear end accidents, but there is a decrease in fatalities," he said.
Foerster noted the accidents taking place in Jersey Village at the specified intersections mainly affected the front, left and center of the vehicles involved.
"They're traumatic and they cause injuries," he said.
The camera relocation will be handled by ATS and will come at no cost to the city. A timetable has not been set for when the relocated cameras will be back online.
