1 30 12 Automated Traffic Enforcement_Work Session MaterialsMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Work Session — January 30, 2012
Automated Traffic Enforcement Vendor Recommendation
DATE: January 27, 2012
Dubuque
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All-America City
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2007
Attached is the material for the work session on automated traffic enforcement. There
will be a presentation by Chief of Police, Mark Dalsing; City Engineer, Gus Psihoyos;
and the representative of Redflex Traffic Systems.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:sv
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Mark Dalsing, Chief of Police
THE CITY OF
DUB TE MEMORANDUM
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
January 27, 2012
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen
City Manager
FR: Mark M. Dalsing
Chief of Police
RE: Automated Traffic Enforcement Vendor Recommendation
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum will detail the selection process and vendor recommendation for the
City of Dubuque's proposed Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) system.
BACKGROUND
In the early 2000's, the City of Dubuque and the Iowa Department of Transportation
(IDOT) did a grant funded project called "Red Light Running," to study the practicality of
a camera system to detect vehicles running red lights. The northbound traffic on John F.
Kennedy Rd. at Pennsylvania Avenue was the only monitored intersection. Based on
the study it was determined that the reliability and cost of the equipment, combined with
staff levels needed to monitor the violations, made the system impractical. The
Dubuque Police Department has continued to monitor the developments in technology
and quality of these systems since this initial study.
Over the past several years, various cities in Iowa have been implementing Automated
Traffic Enforcement (ATE) systems as a means to reduce traffic violations and prevent
accidents. These cities include but are not limited to Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Clive,
Des Moines, Muscatine, Fort Dodge, Council Bluffs and Sioux City. As these cities
developed their systems, the Dubuque Police Department monitored them to see what
successes they were having in accident reduction.
The Davenport Police Department implemented ATE in 2004. They conducted a study
of the year prior to red light cameras being installed and the two years after the lights
were installed and reported finding a 60% reduction in accidents caused by running red
lights and a 47% reduction in rear end crashes. They also found an 8.5% reduction in
personal injury accidents and a 9.5% reduction in total accidents citywide.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department implemented ATE in 2010. They compared
accidents data from before the cameras were instituted through 2011 and found traffic
accidents throughout the City of Cedar Rapids are down 22 %, injury accidents are down
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19 %, and fatal accidents are down 80 %. Traffic accidents at the monitored intersections
are down 12 %, traffic accidents on Interstate 380 are down 76 %, and accidents on
Interstate 380 are down 75 %. Traffic accidents in the curves on Interstate 380 are down
82% and injury accidents in the curves are down 87 %.
The Des Moines Police Department has had an ATE system active for only six months,
but they report an average accident decrease of 33% at the five monitored intersections
when compared to the same six month period over the previous four years.
An Iowa State University - Center for Transportation Research and Education study
entitled "The Effectiveness of Iowa's Automated Red Light Running Enforcement
Programs," was submitted in December 2007. This lengthy study addresses the pros
and cons of engineering countermeasures, legal challenges, and accident data. The
study found cities in Iowa with ATE saw accident decreases ranging from 20 -44% in
total accidents, and a 40 -90% decrease in ATE intersections. The entire study can be
reviewed at http: / /www.intrans.iastate.edu /reports /rlr- phase2.pdf.
Based on such data and the fact that the Mayor and City Council made automated
traffic enforcement one of the priorities in September 2011, the Dubuque Police
Department, partnering with multiple other City departments, has once again been
exploring automated camera systems for the City of Dubuque.
Over the next several pages I will review the specific items to consider when developing
a plan to reduce red light running. The items include:
• Education
• Engineering
• Enforcement
• Evaluation
In calendar year 2010 the Dubuque Police Department responded to 2965 accidents,
and in 2011 we responded to 2836 accidents. While accidents occur for a variety of
reasons, speed, failure to obey traffic control devices (traffic signals, signs) and other
intersection related issues are common causes.
A Dubuque Police Department study of IDOT crash data was completed for the years
2001 through 2010. The study showed that there were 13,334 accidents in the City of
Dubuque that were reported to the IDOT. These accidents resulted in an average
property damage of $4,001 per accident, for a total of $53,345,745. More importantly,
there were 20 fatal accidents, 160 major injury accidents, and an additional 3,556
accidents with minor /possible injuries.
When accidents are reported to the IDOT, a major cause is listed. The major cause is
the primary factor the reporting officer believes led to the accident. Of the 13,334
accidents reviewed, 1058 listed driver ran traffic signal as the major cause, 371 showed
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speed related violations as the major cause, and 2,900 showed failure to maintain
control, which is often a speed related violation.
Ran traffic signal was also listed as the major cause in 21 of the 160 major injury
accidents, and 3 of the 20 fatal accidents.
A Dubuque Police Department study of IDOT accident data was also completed for
years 2003 to 2010 for accident intersections in Dubuque (Attachment 1). In the study,
the top accident intersections were identified for each year. While the specific
intersections and ranking of the intersections change over the years, the same
intersections routinely show up in each year's statistics. The study also showed that the
10 -15 intersections identified each year also comprise approximately 10% of all of the
City's accidents in the given year. With the hundreds of intersections and streets in the
city, having one out of every ten accidents occur at ten individual locations is cause for
concern. It is with data like this that we encourage and direct our officers to concentrate
their enforcement efforts. We encourage and direct our efforts on known problem areas,
however there are several shortcomings to this method.
First, not all locations are physically designed to allow for traditional observation and
enforcement. Multi -lane intersections without adjoining off street spaces for squad cars
make observation and enforcement activities very difficult. As an example, the
intersection of Dodge & Locust at the foot of the Julien Dubuque Bridge is traditionally
one of the top five accident intersections. The lack of off - street observation points and
overall traffic congestion makes enforcement very difficult.
A second factor is staffing and calls for service. While the department has added
additional officers over the past five years, we have also experienced a high level of
turnover. As of this memo, we are down seven officers and have four additional officers
in training, who are therefore not available to assist in traffic enforcement. This
combined with the fact that we experience an increase in calls for service every year,
generally results in decreased time available for extra traffic enforcement. The Safe
Community Task Force made increased traffic enforcement a recommendation to the
City Council. Despite staffing and call issues, the department responded and had a
major increase in traffic enforcement. While we hope the increase in enforcement had a
positive impact on traffic safety, we also recognize the fact that enforcement time is
limited and we cannot begin to cover the multitude of intersections and streets in the
City.
Additionally, traffic is moving 24 hours a day in the City and it is impossible to try and
watch each and every intersection and roadway at all times to prevent violations and
accidents. This is where automated enforcement can assist the City. Automated
enforcement can monitor intersections and roadways at all times, and enforcement
action can be taken on violators at a later time. Just as important as enforcement, is
driver awareness and education. A well publicized traffic camera campaign, as well as
obvious signage for enforcement zones, will hopefully contribute to better driving habits.
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The locations for any ATE system implementation would be a joint decision made by the
City and the vendor. The Police Department and Engineering would provide the primary
input, which would include accident data, enforcement limitations, roadway /intersections
specification, traffic volume, etc. The vendor would also conduct its own research into
proposed areas and would look at the factors such as infrastructure to support the
system, violator counts and other details that would support installation of a system.
We also propose that enforcement data in ATE areas be available for public review and
that accident data both in ATE areas and citywide be regularly analyzed and available
for public review.
ENGINEERING (Contributed by the City of Dubuque Engineering Department)
Typically an Engineering Study /Safety Analysis will be conducted at the intersection in
question prior to the installation of automated enforcement. This study would document
the following parameters:
• Signal visibility and signage (including advanced warnings). Ensure the vision
triangle is met
• Pedestrian signal locations at the intersection
• Pavement markings, conditions and treatments
• Traffic volumes
• Vehicle detection type and location
• A diagram of the intersection showing the locations of the traffic signal equipment
and phasing
• Current signal phase timings, including minimum and maximum green times,
yellow clearance times, all red clearance, passage timings and cycle lengths
• Posted limits or 85 percentile speed
• Intersection geometrics, number of lanes, roadway widths and grades.
• Consistency from one signal to the next
The City of Dubuque Engineering Department evaluates intersections on a yearly basis
for improvements as they relate to safety and congestion. Once an intersection is
flagged and a solution is engineered, funding is sought. The City has been successful
in acquiring state funding to aid in the construction of improvements. Most of this state
funding has come through competitive Clean Air Attainment, Traffic Safety, and Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding.
Recent examples of safety and congestion improvements include:
1. Northwest Arterial Improvements (2010)
• All protected left -turn movements.
• Interconnection of all signals via fiber optics for progression.
• The addition and lengthening of turn lanes.
• Installation of new microwave vehicle detection and advanced detection.
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2. Pennsylvania Avenue by Hempstead High School
• Roadway change from 4- to 3 -lane.
• Revised striping.
• Addition of a new signalized crosswalk.
• Improved school bus egress near signalized crosswalk.
• Speed reduction during school arrival /dismissal.
• Signals tie into central management system.
3. US 52 at Northwest Arterial
• Installation of new vehicle detection.
• Conversion of left turns to protected -only.
4. John F. Kennedy Road at Northwest Arterial: Changed to protection -only left
turns.
5. Middle Road at Radford Road: Intersection modified to a four -way stop.
6. US 52 (Central Avenue)
• Signal improvements in downtown Dubuque from 14th to 32nd Street.
• Complete traffic signal reconstruction to update to latest standards and
uniformity.
7. US 61/151 at US 52 and Maquoketa Drive (2011/2012)
• Improvement of intersection efficiency.
• Minimization of pole obstacles in right -of -way.
• Installation of advanced senior and remote management.
• Installation of new microwave vehicle detection and advanced detection along
with remote management.
8. Installations to comply with standard Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS) practices.
• Battery back -ups.
• Pre - emption.
• Traffic monitoring cameras. (Provides the capability to see and adjust live traffic
and view what occurs prior to an accident.)
• Pedestrian countdown signals.
9. Installation of LED lighting to improve intersection visibility.
10. Installation of 12 -inch LED signals that are more defined and brighter.
11. Installation of pedestrian countdown signals as a standard City practice.
12. Installation of advanced flashers
• US 52 southbound at Northwest Arterial.
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• Every first signal on all major corridor points.
13. Installation of optically limited signals heads. (Prevents a signal head from
accidentally being viewed from the wrong approach.)
14. Mastarm retrofit projects have been installed at intersections such as Loras at
Bluff, Locust, Main, and Iowa. Along Central at 17th 7th and 6th Streets. The goal
of this program is to have mastarm standards at all the signals along main
corridors in downtown Dubuque.
A review is underway to study the use of roundabouts at selected City locations.
Roundabouts can offer the following benefits:
• 90 %+ reduction in fatalities.
• 76% reduction in injuries.
• 35% reduction in all crashes.
• Greater safety for pedestrians due to lower speeds.
• More efficient traffic flow since it reduces the "stacking" effects that occur with
traffic signals.
• Possible access points closer to the intersections.
As part of this ongoing review, the City is also analyzing the potential cost of
roundabouts as compared to traditional intersection safety improvements.
CITIZEN CONCERNS (ENGINEERING)
Citizen input has also provided the following suggestions for intersection safety:
• Lengthening the Yellow Clearance Time by One (1) Second
The City utilizes the recommendations of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD) to set clearance timings on traffic signals. Uniformity is a
necessity to ensure that motorists know what to expect when they approach a traffic
signal. The Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE) suggests "relatively long change
intervals encourage motorists to proceed through when they otherwise had an
opportunity to stop." The City of Dubuque uses an equation of the ITE to calculate
yellow clearance times. The yellow timing is never less than 3 seconds or more than
6 seconds.
• Installation of Countdown Pedestrian Signals at All Intersections
There are two types of signals (1) pre- timed; and (2) actuated. Pre -timed signals,
like those in the Central Business District (CBD) in downtown Dubuque, all run on
the same cycle length (1 minute) and do not use vehicle detection. The pedestrian
countdown signals also come up in recall with their corresponding phase. This
works well in a CBD where there are shorter pedestrian crossings and coordinated
routes.
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Along major roadways, it is much further for a pedestrian to walk to cross the
roadway. MUTCD recommends the speed of a pedestrian be assumed at 3.5 feet
per second. The distance across the roadway divided by 3.5 feet per second equals
the pedestrian clearance time required (the flashing "Don't Walk" time). This time
can be to 40 seconds along larger intersections. This is often many times longer
than the maximum green time needed for vehicles to cross the same roadway.
When this occurs, it takes the intersection out of coordination to allow the pedestrian
phase the time needed to cross. After a pedestrian crossing at a larger intersection,
such as along US 20 or the Northwest Arterial, the signal typically takes multiple
cycles to synchronize back into coordination.
The City is planning to ultimately convert all pedestrian signal heads to the count-
down style; however, if there is not a pedestrian present to initiate the count -down
head (such as at an actuated signal), no count -down clock will be seen. Reliance on
pedestrian count -down signals to aid in the awareness of yellow lights would
basically put all signals into a pre -timed state and the signals would no longer be
reactive to traffic. Thus it would lead to extreme inefficiencies.
• Installation of Larger Signal Heads
The MUTCD recognizes two sizes of signal heads -8 -inch and 12 -inch. MUTCD
states that all new signal installations are to be the 12 -inch style. All signals within
the City of Dubuque are currently using the 12 -inch head size.
ADDITIONAL CITIZEN CONCERNS
Communities with ATE systems have heard citizen concerns about the systems, and
Dubuque is no different. Several concerns were brought up and I will try to address
them.
One of the concerns is the "right to face your accuser." The courts have ruled many
times on the admissibility of photos and video. As long as the City can produce
information as to the authentication of video /photos through witness testimony and the
proper chain of custody of the information, videos and photos have been deemed
admissible. Also, the right to "face your accuser" is associated with prosecution in a
criminal case. Violations under ATE are not processed as criminal violations. ATE
violations across the state are written as civil violations.
A concern also tied in with this concept is that some company will be issuing the
violations based on its own subjective standards, or a "machine" will automatically issue
violations. Most ATE vendors work with cities to determine parameters of what is a
violation, and the ATE systems are then programmed to these parameters. The ATE
system simply detects violators within these parameters and then stores photos and
videos for multiple levels of human review. The vendor then evaluates whether an event
constitutes a violation and forwards it to the City for review. The City makes the final
determination on all violations. A Dubuque Police Department employee would be the
final decision maker on a violation.
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The proposed process also gives people the right to due process. The violations would
be issued as civil infractions with the right to view violations, and an appeal process
including the option of trial at the District Court.
Some opponents of ATE have questioned the constitutionality of the systems. In all
challenges thus far, the Iowa Supreme Court has supported cities' right to use ATE
systems. (City of Davenport vs. Seymour).
Another concern expressed is the fact that a vehicle's registered owner is given the
violation and not the driver. As this is a civil violation and not a criminal violation, the
responsibility falls on the registered owner in much the same manner as parking
violations, impounded vehicles, and private property /home issues. We do recognize
special circumstances may exist, so we propose that any system we use would allow for
a vehicle's registered owner to identify and "nominate" the driver and have the infraction
redirected to that individual. An awareness campaign would also target leased vehicle
providers, although many of them already cover this issue in their contracts.
We also propose a widespread education and public awareness campaign including
advertising and informational materials for citizens.
Because accident prevention and driver awareness are the primary goals of an ATE
system, we would also propose that the City's program be very visible. We propose that
all intersections or roadways with ATE systems be marked with high - profile signs
alerting drivers to the enforcement areas. We would also regularly publish the
enforcement locations the City's website and provide media releases about the
enforcement locations.
REVIEW & RFP PROCESS
Members of the Dubuque Police Department traveled to Cedar Rapids and Davenport
to review their ATE systems in operation. Additionally several members of City staff
attended a large regional meeting with representatives from most of the other cities who
have implemented systems. These departments were able to review the capabilities of
their systems, provide accident data and also share their learning experiences. The
Dubuque Police Department also hosted three vendors who provided attendees an
overview on some of the available ATE systems.
In order to estimate City expense or potential number of violations, the City recognized
the need to receive formal proposals from vendors about implementation of an ATE
system. To this end, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was created and released on
November 25, 2011. A total of five proposals were received and forwarded to the RFP
Review Committee comprised of staff from the Dubuque Police Department, Finance
Department, Budget Office, Information Services, Engineering and the City Legal
Department.
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Following initial review of the proposals, the committee met on January 12, 2012 and
narrowed the review to two vendors. These final two vendors were invited to Dubuque
on January 19, 2012 where they provided product demonstrations and overviews and
answered interview questions about their products and services.
After the demonstrations and interviews the committee met and recommends the
selection of Redflex Traffic Systems to City Council based on the following selection
criteria outlined in the RFP:
• Experience, Qualifications and Expertise
• Capabilities and Resources
• Project Understanding and Approach
• Pricing
• Quality, Thoroughness and Responsiveness of Proposal
• References
• Geographic Location of your Firm
This recommendation was made to City Manager Mike Van Milligen on January 24,
2012 and he concurred with recommending Redflex Traffic Systems to Council.
Redflex will also present at the January 30, 2012 work session.
If at the conclusion of the work session the City Council does not end the process, City
staff will be bringing back to a regular City Council meeting a recommendation for direct
negotiation of a contract with Redflex. City staff will also bring back an enabling
ordinance for consideration.
ACTION REQUESTED
This is an informational memo only. No further action requested.
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ATTACHMENT 1
The Dubuque Police Department continually examines accidents data; however, as a
department Technical Accident Investigator, Cpl. Travis Kramer has additional access
to Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) accident data and is able to filter the data
with Crash Mapping Analysis Tool. In October 2011 I asked Kramer to identify the most
accident prone intersections in Dubuque and he provided me with the following
information:
2010
1. Dodge / Locust
2. Dodge / Hill
3. JFK / Pennsylvania
4. 20th / White
5. Dodge / University
6T. Dodge / JFK
2009
1. 20th / White
2. Dodge / Wacker
3T. 17th / Central
3T. Arterial / Pennsylvania
5. Arterial / Asbury
2008
1. Dodge / Locust
2. Dodge / Hill
3. JFK / Pennsylvania
4T. Asbury / Holliday
4T. Asbury / Arterial
2007
1. Dodge / Locust
2. JFK / Pennsylvania
3. Asbury / NW Arterial
4. Dodge WB on -ramp / Hill
5. Dodge / NW Arterial
2006
1. JFK / Pennsylvania
2. Dodge / Wacker
3. Dodge / Locust
4. Asbury / NW Arterial
5. Dodge / NW Arterial
6T. 9th / Elm
6T. 9th / Central
6T. 14th / Central
6T. 14th / Iowa
6T. Arterial / Chavenelle
6T. 14th / Central
6T. JFK/ Pennsylvania
8T. Dodge / Locust
8T. Grandview / Loras
8T. Dodge / Cedar Cross
4T. Hillcrest -North / JFK
4T. 17th / Jackson
8T. Asbury / JFK
8T. 20th/ Central
10. 14th / Central
6T. 14th / Central
6T. Dodge / Cedar Cross
6T. Dodge / University
6T. Dodge / Wacker
6T. NW Arterial / Pennsylvania
6T. 20th / Central
6T. Carter / JFK
6T. JFK / Wacker
9T. 17th / Central
9T. NW Arterial / Pennsylvania
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2005
1. Asbury / NW Arterial
2. Cedar Cross /Dodge Frontage
3. Dodge / Wacker
4T. Dodge / Cedar Cross
4T. Dodge / Locust
6. 14th / White
7T. Dodge / NW Arterial
2004
1. JFK / Pennsylvania
2. 17th / Central
3. Carter / JFK
4. Dodge / Wacker
5. Devon / Dodge
6T. 20th / Central
2003
1. Dodge / Locust
2. Asbury / NW Arterial
3T. Asbury / JFK
3T. Carter / JFK
3T. JFK/ University
6. Iowa / Loras
7T. 17th / Central
7T. Asbury / JFK
7T. 14th / Locust
10T. Carter / JFK
1 OT. Century / Dodge
1 OT. Devon / Dodge
10T. JFK / Pennsylvania
6T. Asbury / JFK
8. Loras / Main
9T. Dodge / Cedar Cross
9T. Dodge / Locust
11T. 20th / Elm
11T. Dodge WB ramp / Grandview
7T. Dodge / Wacker
9T. 20th / White
9T. Dodge / Century
9T. Arterial / Pennsylvania
9T. Hillcrest (South) / JFK
9T. JFK / Wacker
9T. JFK/ Pennsylvania
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