Red-light cameras are on their way out of Redmond, but the city’s two school-zone speed cameras will likely remain — at least until the end of the school year.
Redmond City Council is expected to approve a new contract with its traffic camera vendor to continue using the speed cameras at Einstein Elementary School through the end of the school year.
Meanwhile, the Redmond Police Department and the city’s traffic operation engineers are working together to formulate a comprehensive traffic plan, which could bring more speed cameras to other school zones.
“We are doing some speed analysis to see if it warrants more cameras in other school zones,” said Redmond Police Chief Ron Gibson.
Gibson said the city is looking at other options, such as speed indicator signs, engineering enhancements and warning lights to improve traffic safety at intersections and school zones. The plan also calls for educating residents through a public outreach program on traffic safety, Gibson said.
The chief said he plans to present the traffic safety plan to the City Council public safety committee in March.
The city’s current contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS), which includes five red-light cameras at three intersections and two speed cameras on Northeast 116th Street near Einstein, will be terminated Jan. 31. That will mark the end of the controversial red-light cameras in the city.
“We are not looking at camera enforcement at intersections,” Gibson said.
Once approved by Council, the new contract will keep the two speed cameras near Einstein active through June 22. Any driver who goes over the 20 mph speed limit during the designated times before and after school will be tagged with a $124 fine.
City Council will likely okay the new contract at an upcoming special meeting later this month or at its Feb. 7 business meeting, according to Council president Pat Vache.
“We all agree that speeding in school zones is flat out a bad idea,” Vache said. “I don’t think there will be any issue of it passing.”
Council voted 7-0 last November to terminate its current contract with ATS because of inconclusive traffic and collision data. But council members showed support for the speed cameras in school zones and directed Mayor John Marchione to negotiate a new contract to continue the speed cameras at Einstein.
Vache said continuing the speed cameras at Einstein was “absolutely the appropriate thing to do there.”
“Kids are kids, they are not the most careful,” Vache said. “It’s a dangerous place to be going fast.”
If the city does want to continue or add more speed cameras beyond the end of the school year, that will have to approved by City Council later this year.
But first the city wants to explore all it’s options.
“We want to create a comprehensive plan as to how we can improve traffic safety in the city,” Gibson said.
