Document text
CLEAR Temp: 63 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, July 17, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 15, 2003 Retired Medford police officer Mitch Gibson mans a camera for the department�s speed enforcement van, running a test pattern at Central Avenue and 13th Street in Medford last week. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Dramatic decrease in speeding violations gives picture of van’s value, effectiveness By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Roughly a year after Medford police put a photo-enforcement van on the streets to catch speeders, the department is adding a second van. Deputy Chief Ron Norris, who oversees the department’s photo-enforcement efforts, hopes to see the second van on the street within weeks. "From a traffic-safety perspective, this program is a success," he said. In the year since the city council authorized the speed van to work throughout town, the number of drivers the van has counted zipping by over the speed limit has dropped dramatically on several busy streets. Advertisement On Black Oak Drive between Hillcrest and Barnett roads, the number of speeders caught in the van’s laser beam on a visit in early July was down 65 percent from the number seen on the van’s first visit in July 2002, Norris said. On Highway 62 near Coker Butte Road, the van’s most recent visit found 54 percent fewer speeders than its first visit last year, he said. "Just being out there is desirable as people see it and slow down," Norris said of the van. Still, the four part-time officers who staff the van cite between 20 and 30 speeders in an average day, department stats show. By adding a second van — and two additional part-time officers to staff it — the department officials want to be able to monitor speeds during all daylight hours seven days a week, Sgt. Bob Hanson said. Now the van works peak travel times during the day, but doesn’t continue into the evening. When working, the van’s operators — all traffic-enforcement veterans — post signs to warn motorists that they are being monitored, Hanson said. The officers direct a laser beam at passing vehicles. If a vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit, two cameras — one wide angle to see all traffic conditions and one zoomed in to identify the driver — snap digital photos, which are stored on a computer hard drive. The speed also shows up on a reader board for the motorist to see. Poltech International Ltd., the Australian company that leases the photo-enforcement equipment to the city, compiles the photos, speed data and license plate information into a file for officers to review. Officers check the file and sign off on the citations they think are warranted. "We understand no one can hold a perfect speed," Hanson said. "We only cite excessive rates of speed." Officers determine what is excessive based on visibility, road conditions and traffic. Margins are smaller for a school zone on a foggy day than for a stretch of Highway 62 on a clear day with little traffic, he said. Most tickets go to drivers who were traveling between 10 and 20 miles over the speed limit, he said. After an officer completes the citation, Poltech mails the tickets to registered owners of speeding vehicles within six days of the violation. The company gets paid per citation, in addition to a monthly fee for equipment use and processing, Poltech’s general manager Jack Weaver said. However, police control when, where and even whether the van works and which drivers are cited, so tickets aren’t motivated by vendor profits, he said. Operating the van is a break-even proposition for the city, Norris said. The first van cost $25,000 to outfit, and by buying a used vehicle, the department trimmed the cost of the second van to $20,000. The $109 fines speeders pay cover the program’s expenses, he said. "We try to operate the department as economically as possible," Norris said. "It’s cheaper and more efficient to use this technology." The photo-enforcement equipment can record a speed three times a second, Weaver said. That gives it the potential to catch far more speeders than an officer who has to stop a vehicle and write a ticket on the side of the road. Also, officers inside the van are less likely to be struck by a passing vehicle, always a danger in a traffic stop, Hanson said. The photo-enforcement program also frees up officers for other traffic problems, such as pedestrian safety, following too closely, or seatbelt use, police said. Speed zone hot spots Here are some of the photo-enforcement van’s priority spots: Highway 62 safety corridor. Central Avenue near Bank Street. Riverside Avenue near 13th Street. Black Oak Drive between Hillcrest and Barnett roads. Stewart and Columbus avenues. the length of both McAndrews Road and Crater Lake Avenue. School zones throughout town when classes resume in the fall. The van also visits neighborhoods, especially if people have complained about speeders. If you would like to see the van in your neighborhood, call community service officer Howard Pendleton at 774-2268. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times