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65 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, July 7, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 6, 2004 A speeding motorist passes a Medford Police Department photo-detection van on Highland Drive during a recent training session for officers operating the equipment. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven An eye on the fast and the furious Medford’s photo vans will soon be joined by red-light cameras at key intersections By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Roger Eckley sees Medford’s photo-enforcement traffic program as an invasion of privacy. "I think it stinks," the Medford resident said. "I think it’s way sneaky." Paula Assali takes the opposite view. "Anything that keeps people from speeding is a good idea," said Assali, also of Medford. "I think it works. I know I watch my speed more knowing they’re out there." Whether or not you’re a fan of red-light cameras and speed-detection vans, the fact remains that after a six-month absence, they’re back. Speed vans returned to Medford’s streets on Monday. Two white vans have been outfitted with new Doppler laser-beam technology, and motorists who speed past a van can expect information to be beamed up to Municipal Court, where they will face a judge, a fine and a photograph of themselves caught in the act. Violators receive citations in the mail. Advertisement "If you’re not speeding, you never have to worry about this," said police Deputy Chief Ron Norris, who retired last week but was still on active duty when he became a victim of photo enforcement in December. A speed van clocked him driving 37 mph in a 25-mph zone on Highland Drive, resulting in his subsequent attendance in a traffic-school class. "As you can see, we treat everybody the same way," said Norris, who oversaw the photo-enforcement program during his tenure with the city. "Everybody gets complacent, and I wasn’t paying attention when this happened. Did I learn from it? Yes." The red-light cameras and speed vansquietly went away in January, when the Australian company that leased equipment to Medford went bankrupt. A new deal was struck in April with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., which is allowing police to use its equipment in exchange for a portion of fines collected in Municipal Court from drivers found guilty of speeding past vans or running red lights at monitored intersections. It will still be a few weeks before red-light cameras are again installed in Medford, Redflex spokesman Jack Weaver said. The first camera will be set up at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Barnett Road. Other intersections have yet to be chosen. Earlier, red-light cameras checked speeders at the intersections of McAndrews and Biddle roads and Barnett Road and Riverside Avenue. The number of red-light runners at those intersections dropped from between 25 and 50 per day to about 10 per week after cameras were installed, police said. City data shows the number of speeders nabbed by officers in speed vans, meanwhile, dropped between 40 percent and 61 percent at five locations in Medford, between the first visits in July 2002 and those made a year later. In 2003, Medford’s photo enforcement program generated nearly 7,000 citations, while officers wrote another 14,000. Norris said speed vans capture far more traffic violators than do red- light cameras. "Photo enforcement does work," Norris said. "But these are huge traffic-safety issues, and you could not possibly deploy enough to take care of all of this." Speed vans are being positioned on city streets where residents or officers have observed a pattern of speeding vehicles. Norris said in most cases drivers are not ticketed for going less than 5 mph over the speed limit. "We give a reasonable tolerance, depending on the road," he said. "We’re trying to get the public’s trust, and people are not getting pinched for going 2, 3 or 4 miles over the speed limit." Norris said motorists should expect to see the vans working in school zones, where a new law requires drivers to slow to 20 mph at all times on streets where the speed limit is 30 mph or less. The vans will be used at night, and could be deployed seven days a week. While every vehicle passing a van is clocked, only those going over the posted limit see their speed flashed on the back of a van. The vans are clearly marked as police vehicles and stay in a single location no longer than four hours at a time, Norris said. Vans must be staffed by an officer, and signs advising motorists that an enforcement vehicle is in the neighborhood must be placed 100 to 400 yards from the vans. "I want them back," Norris said. "I had to pay a fine and go to traffic school, but I’m glad to see them back." With the program’s return, Medford again joins Portland and Beaverton as the only Oregon cities with photo enforcement. At least one Jacksonville resident would like to see the program expanded to her town. "So many people speed through town, I think (speed vans) are a good thing," said Kathy Eck. "We could use those out there, because Jacksonville police can’t patrol it at all times. A lot of people would be grateful." Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times