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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 18, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 17, 2005 Citizen requests spark return of red-light camera By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune A camera system designed to nab red-light runners at a busy Medford intersection should be operational before the end of April, police said. Citizen complaints of red-light violations at the intersection of Biddle and McAndrews roads have prompted installation of the new photo-enforcement equipment, Medford Police Chief Eric Mellgren said. "We’ve been getting tons of input from community members saying they want the camera back," Mellgren said. A work crew on Monday will install underground wiring for the new system on Biddle Road just south of McAndrews. At least one lane of Biddle will be closed from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Motorists should expect delays and are advised to seek alternate routes. A red-light camera monitored the intersection during 2002 and 2003. Police said traffic violations there decreased dramatically after the system’s installation. The previous equipment also was used at the intersection of Riverside Avenue and Barnett Road. Advertisement The city’s photo-enforcement program was temporarily halted last year when the company that owned the monitoring equipment went bankrupt. A new vendor was secured a few months later, and photo enforcement was instituted in September at the intersection of Barnett Road and Stewart Avenue. Under its contract with Redflex Traffic Systems, the city could choose to set up red-light monitoring equipment at six additional intersections. Mellgren said police expect the next camera will be installed at Delta Waters Road and Highway 62, where numerous crashes and red-light violations have been reported. "We try to pick spots where there are accidents and complaints," Mellgren said. Police have not yet identified additional intersections where monitoring equipment may be installed in the future. Mellgren said after the camera is set up at Biddle and McAndrews, it will operate for a "short period of time" before citations are mailed to red-light runners. The time is needed to ensure the equipment is working correctly, he said. When the previous camera system was installed in May 2002, police said about 25 red-light violations per day were occurring at each of the monitored intersections. Just four months later, the number of violations had dropped to three or four each day. Speed detection vans make up the other prong of the city’s photo-enforcement program. Radar-equipped vans returned to the streets in July and are now in regular use at various Medford locations. Portland and Beaverton are the only other Oregon cities using photo-enforcement equipment. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s