Easton Officials Learn About Red Light Cameras

It's not clear whether Easton will ever use .

But if Easton does install the cameras, it could be getting more of a safety measure than a revenue source.

That was the message from a camera company representative who spoke Tuesday to public safety committee.

American Traffic Solutions approached the city recently about installing the cameras, which can be used to capture drivers running red lights.

For now, the state only allows Philadelphia to use the cameras, but a bill before the state legislature could amend the law to let cities with more than 18,000 people to have their own cameras. 

But if Easton becomes one of those cities, it's not likely to see a lot of money from traffic violations. Greg Park, a representative from the Arizona-based ATS, told council the program is designed to be "revenue neutral."

It works like this: ATS would pay the cost of installing/maintaining the cameras. It would also collect revenue from those fines. After a certain amount, the city would get a cut of that money.

"By contract," Park said, "you're guaranteed to at least break even."

Once the cameras are installed, there's a 60-day grace period. When those 60 days end, drivers caught running a red light will get a $60 fine.

Easton Police Chief Larry Palmer said most accidents at red lights in the city are caused by drivers running through the lights. He said he couldn't remember the last fatal crash that happened within the city.

"For us, it's an extra surveillance camera," Palmer said.

Park noted that the cameras have helped police solve more serious crimes.

Whether they increase or reduce the number of accidents at the intersections where they're installed is the subject of some debate. 

ATC has used a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety which found the cameras reduced fatal and non-fatal crashes. That's based on research conducted in Oxnard, California and Arlington, Virginia.

Other research suggests the cameras lead to an increase in rear-end collisions once they're installed.

Park argued that's due to a lack of public awareness when the cameras are introduced.

Council took no action, but Mayor Sal Panto -- who said he'd met this week with another traffic light camera company called Redflex -- said he supports the state legislation.

"Anything we can do to allow municipalities to be more autonomous," Panto said."

Councilman Roger Ruggles noted that this could all be speculative.

"This seems like it’s backwards," he said. "If the state isn't going to allow us to do this I don’t need to know anything about the technology."