WAFF.com: North Alabama News, Radar, Weather, Sports and Jobs-What's the purpose of Huntsville intersection cameras?
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By Jeanie Powell - bio | email
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - A lot of wrecks have been in the news lately and it's brought up some questions from WAFF 48 News viewers about cameras at intersections.
Margaret Funderburk sent us an email questioning the purpose of Huntsville cameras, especially as more traffic moves into our area because of BRAC.
Her email stemmed from the horrible aftermath of a recent wreck on Bailey Cove and Willowbrook Drive in southeast Huntsville that killed 26-year-old Keara Kroellinger.
Police said the driver ran a red light.
WAFF 48 News talked to an expert and while these cameras do serve a purpose for traffic, they might be put to a different use down the road.
You can find cameras above more than 75 Huntsville intersections.
Each black and white video camera runs anywhere from $800 to $1,000.
Data processors cost around $3,500 each.
But do you know what purpose they serve?
Contrary to some drivers' beliefs, they don't capture your speed or even a wreck.
They're operating 24/7, but not ever recording.
Traffic signal supervisor John Hoffman met us at University Drive and Old Monrovia Road to explain their existence.
These cameras, installed about seven years ago, replaced interactive loops in the road.
Hoffman said it's a cost-saving measure for the city.
"If you do road construction and they re-pave the road, they damage the loops. The alternative was to have video; you put video up for resurfacing projects and paving doesn't damage loops," he explained.
"We're going to eventually implement our command center so that we can bring all the video feedback to a central location and monitor all the traffic at intersections," Hoffman said.
It's called ITS- a system that stores traffic data, which would allow a party to go back and retrieve video.
Right now, there's no timeframe on when the city could switch over to an ITS system.
WAFF 48 News is told red light cameras operate under a different system and if motorists want to push for this, it's an issue that should be addressed through lawmakers.
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