While red light cameras are effective at deterring people from consciously running red lights, I would contend they are not at all effective in producing better drivers.
While some people push the envelope or blatantly blow through a red light, many people simply have poor depth or time perception and go through red lights inadvertently or will stop suddenly while the light is still yellow, raising the potential for both pedestrian and rear-end vehicular accidents.
TDM Takeaway Red-light cameras don’t produce better drivers and have been shown to put people at intersections at a higher risk. Simple road markings would be the first step in protecting drivers from accidents and could, in time, begin to make it easier to encourage people to bike and walk, especially around stoplight intersections that are frequently congested.
There have been numerous controversies documented around the country about the costs and benefits of red-light cameras, leading many communities to remove the devices in favor of driver safety over new revenue.
In fact, the New Jersey Department of Transportation found that traffic collisions actually went up 20 percent at two dozen intersections that had red-light cameras installed over the course of a year.
I would like to propose a simple solution to decrease red-light running through the use of traffic markers.
When you approach an intersection on a four-lane road, you will notice that the dashed passing-lane markers typically turn into a white solid line shortly before the intersection. The main purpose of this is to discourage vehicular traffic from changing lanes in the intersection to protect both pedestrians and turning vehicles.
I would propose that these lines should also be used as indicators for drivers as a guideline of how much time they have to stop when a light turns yellow. The premise is simple enough: the longer the yellow light, the longer the white line. If the driver is past the start of the solid white line when the light turns yellow, they have enough time. If they are not, then they will blow the red light. Of course, this all assumes that drivers are following the speed limit and can make adjustments accordingly.
This solution would be easy enough to implement on four-lane roads, and a viable solution could easily be created for two-lane roads. Enforcement is not the end all for creating better drivers. Sometimes just giving them the tools they need to make better decisions is all it takes. The key to making this solution work would be educating the community that the lines exist and are there for their benefit.
Graphic by Sam Krassenstein