Just noticed there are four new cameras on the traffic light poles at this intersection. I haven't heard anything about the city using cameras to catch offenders...
anyone else know if this is going on in other intersections in the city?

I work in an insurance agency...and it's amazing how many accidents are happening involving people running red lights.
Not just yellow lights....but sailing thru the intersection long after their light has turned red.

My daily commute takes me on several intersections along Northwest Expressway.....and just in one day I see an average of six incidents of this.
If the police were monitoring red light running all over the city....the revenue from tickets given would help pay for more officers.
The ignoring of signals is becoming an epidemic....

If the traffic cameras will help this...I think it's a great idea.

Just noticed there are four new cameras on the traffic light poles at this intersection. I haven't heard anything about the city using cameras to catch offenders...
anyone else know if this is going on in other intersections in the city?

I work in an insurance agency...and it's amazing how many accidents are happening involving people running red lights.
Not just yellow lights....but sailing thru the intersection long after their light has turned red.

My daily commute takes me on several intersections along Northwest Expressway.....and just in one day I see an average of six incidents of this.
If the police were monitoring red light running all over the city....the revenue from tickets given would help pay for more officers.
The ignoring of signals is becoming an epidemic....

If the traffic cameras will help this...I think it's a great idea.

I think those fancy cameras are actually optical sensors used to detect lights from approaching emergency vehicles.

I agree with you on the running of red lights....its unbelievable how bad it is. Not yellow - absolute RED. Saw one at NW highway and Macarthur about 30 minutes ago - no wreck but very close by car in front of me. Lots of honking and fingers being tossed.:rolleyes:

I think those fancy cameras are actually optical sensors used to detect lights from approaching emergency vehicles.

I wondered about that...but it appears there are sensors for the emergency vehicles already there. These are large cameras pointed at the intersection.

I wondered about that...but it appears there are sensors for the emergency vehicles already there. These are large cameras pointed at the intersection.

Hmm, well I know they can't actually use them to enforce red lights. That would take a change in legislation.

While i agree that redligbt running is a problem, i dont agree with the use of red light cameras. The fact is, too many cities use them to raise revenue. If you drive the road daily, then 3 weeks later you get a ticket in the mail, you may not be able to remember any circumstances of the day. Finally, i work near one that i have seen go off for no reason dozens of times. It totally goes haywire after thunderstorms. In Denver, they gave taken it a step further. They use crosswalk cams to ticket those whose cars creep into crosswalks. I believe they have been forced to back off those recently. There is also a controversy that they cause more accidents -especially fender -bender types

^Quite a few municipalities around North Texas have stopped using them for the reasons you cited. I agree they cause fender benders as paranoid people needlessly slam on their brakes, I've seen it personally while in Houston a few years ago.

In cases like this, nothing beats good old fashion police enforcement from a real live officer. If people believe this one particular intersection is bad, they should really contact OKCPD.

Northwest Expressway would benefit from a joint effort between OKCPD and Warr Acres PD to create a safety corridor from about May to Council. Add to it some trees and landscape in medians. Not that it will stop all the red light running, but if you could expect to 4 - 5 officers parked along that stretch of road at any given time, and it didn't feel as wide open I truly think it would help. Not related to running red lights, but a wide trail for walking and biking along the south side of NW Expressway would be great also.

Just noticed there are four new cameras on the traffic light poles at this intersection. I haven't heard anything about the city using cameras to catch offenders...
anyone else know if this is going on in other intersections in the city?

I work in an insurance agency...and it's amazing how many accidents are happening involving people running red lights.
Not just yellow lights....but sailing thru the intersection long after their light has turned red.

My daily commute takes me on several intersections along Northwest Expressway.....and just in one day I see an average of six incidents of this.
If the police were monitoring red light running all over the city....the revenue from tickets given would help pay for more officers.
The ignoring of signals is becoming an epidemic....

If the traffic cameras will help this...I think it's a great idea.

I need to drive through to check, but I'm 99.9% certain that they are there for traffic signal/traffic flow mgmt. The City does not have photo enforcement red light cameras.

I also believe the city is required to post signs that red light enforcement is photo enforced at intersections that have red light cameras.

I've seen similar signs in Miami and in Portland.

Also, the red light cameras are huge and sit on the side of the road next to the sidewalk, not up above.

Not from an Oklahoma website but same basic principle.

Video Cameras at Signalized Intersections (http://www.modot.org/stlouis/links/signalcameras.htm)

Northwest Expressway would benefit from a joint effort between OKCPD and Warr Acres PD to create a safety corridor from about May to Council. Add to it some trees and landscape in medians. Not that it will stop all the red light running, but if you could expect to 4 - 5 officers parked along that stretch of road at any given time, and it didn't feel as wide open I truly think it would help. Not related to running red lights, but a wide trail for walking and biking along the south side of NW Expressway would be great also.
NW Expressway moves slow enough as is. If they want less accidents they should raise it to 55 and time the lights.

Accident just now at the intersection in front of my office. Someone ran the light.

NW Expressway moves slow enough as is. If they want less accidents they should raise it to 55 and time the lights.

Northwest Expressway in my opinion is a nightmare as it...the speed limit is 45 which means a lot of people drive at least 55. If they raised the speed limit to 55--that would mean people would drive 60 or more. Way too much congestion, people turning, and traffic lights to think about increasing the speed limit. I think they should lower the speed limit to 40---which would be more in line with the traffic patters on that road.

They need to eliminate a good portion of the traffic lights, add a lane for BRT, reconstruct in cement, add more landscaping, reduce the curb cuts, and raise the speed limit to at least 50.

They need to eliminate a good portion of the traffic lights, add a lane for BRT, reconstruct in cement, add more landscaping, reduce the curb cuts, and raise the speed limit to at least 50.

Plain cement would be a dusty mess... :Smiley122

So, what are the cameras? We've become so accepting of the surveillance state that we don't seem to really care. Cameras are there - doing something. What is it? This would have been met with outrage just 20 years ago.

I think they're for traffic control. The city has a traffic control center that checks the cameras to scout for wrecks. I'm also betting they'll use them for accidents as evidence to who was at fault and what not.

They need to eliminate a good portion of the traffic lights, add a lane for BRT, reconstruct in cement, add more landscaping, reduce the curb cuts, and raise the speed limit to at least 50.
I would agree with parts of this. I dont think upgrading the NW Hiway to interstate standards will ever come. However, eliminating many lights and cutthroughs could happen. Interchanges at some major streets with Texas Turnarounds could reduce the pain of the reduced cutthroughs.

I'm not sure how many would agree here, but I think it would be awesome to see a BRT line from downtown, onto Classen, then have a new dedicated lane down NW expressway for BRT.

I would love to see 39th expressway turned into a highway and connect to the Kilpatrick, but I agree with you that NW Expressway probably won't ever see it and I don't think it's needed just some better upgrades. I don't know why the city placed so many traffic lights in the area to begin with when they knew it was an 'expressway.'

Because traffic planners were more willing to serve the fast food restaurants and strip centers than to ensure the fast, smooth and safe flow of traffic. The took the viewpoint of Judge Doom from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" by preferring flashing neon and traffic lights. "My God, It will be beautiful."

Lol