Drivers at four Denton intersections ran nearly 8,600 red lights and shelled out about $423,000 as a result over the past six months, a review of the city’s camera-monitored intersections found.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Drivers at four Denton intersections, including this one at Mayhill and Spencer roads, ran nearly 8,600 red lights and shelled out about $423,000 as a result over the past six months, a review of the camera-monitored intersections found.

And unlike some other cities that employ red light cameras, Denton hasn’t seen an increase in rear-end accidents at the camera-watched intersections.

“Overall, the system is doing pretty much what we said it was going to do,” Denton police Lt. Scott Fletcher said, adding that police anticipated the cameras would reduce violations and accidents and possibly bring in revenue.

So far, the program has netted more than $200,000 for the city. Denton has earmarked any net revenue from the cameras to public safety improvements. The rest of the $423,000 went to camera expenses and installation.

Critics of red-light cameras cite studies showing they can increase rear-end accidents because they cause drivers to panic and slam on their brakes at intersections.

But in Denton, both rear-end and total accidents at the four intersections dropped compared with the same period last year, according to the data, which Denton police released in response to an open-records request from the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Violations also fell steadily during the period, as people became aware of the cameras, Fletcher said. In addition, the city lengthened the yellow-light intervals at three of the four intersections in August and September, partly in response to public complaints that the lights turned red too quickly.

“Essentially our numbers were high at the beginning and immediately began going down,” he said. “They were down the first month of citations compared with the warning period, and they’ve pretty much kept the downward trend.”

Mayor Pro Tem Pete Kamp said the cameras seemed to be meeting the City Council’s goals.

“The reason that we wanted the cameras is for public safety,” she said. “I would like to see absolutely no violations because that would mean that no one is running red lights. That’s the objective of the program.”

The statistics were gathered from May 8 to Nov. 8, the first six months the city began collecting revenue from red light runners caught on camera at Mayhill and Spencer roads, Woodrow Lane and Shady Oaks Drive, Hickory Street and Bell Avenue, and Carroll Boulevard and Oak Street.

Denton started activating the pole-mounted cameras in April, and violators received warning notices until May 8.

The city has contracted with Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Redflex Traffic Systems to operate the cameras, which work around the clock to provide photographs and a short video of violations. The city pays a monthly fee to Redflex for operation and maintenance of the cameras.

After Redflex and a Denton police officer confirm a violation, the registered owner of the vehicle receives a violation notice, which carries a $75 fee.

Since the penalty is civil, it doesn’t affect driving records or insurance rates.

Those who want to fight the penalty can appeal the violation to a city hearing officer within 30 days of receiving the notice, but less than 1 percent of drivers cited ask for a hearing, Fletcher said.

Of those cases, nearly 80 percent end with the person being found liable for the violation, he said.

People can then appeal that decision to the municipal judge, but fewer than a dozen cases have gone that far, Fletcher said. In those cases, only one or two of the decisions have been reversed, he said.

Those who ignore the violation notices are contacted by a collections agency.

Based on what they consider the success of the red light cameras, city officials have expressed interest in adding them at more intersections. They particularly want to target state-controlled roadways that see the most wrecks, although doing so would require approval from the Texas Department of Transportation.

Critics of red light camera systems also say they are an invasion of privacy and are invalid because they assume the vehicle’s owner committed the violation, even though the cameras don’t show drivers’ faces. At least four state legislatures have banned the systems, according to a July report prepared for the Texas House of Representatives. Texas law doesn’t explicitly ban or authorize cities to use them, and at least 12 municipalities employ the systems, including Arlington, Dallas and Houston.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.