Red light cameras installed along Bandera Road almost one year ago are having a dramatic impact on safety. City leaders in Leon Valley said the 80,000 or so drivers who pass through the busy area every single day are learning lessons in how to obey the law.
"The best number of all is 95 percent of the people that got a citation one time have never gotten a second one," Leon Valley Police Chief Joe Salvaggio said. "We're looking at less than five percent of people repeating that behavior."
City Manager Kelly Kuenstler said the program, which began with citizen requests for more enforcement on the dangerous stretch of road, has been warmly embraced by the people who live in Leon Valley.
"The residents wanted a change on Bandera Road and we gave it to them, so this was a great grassroots effort," Kuenstler said. "Complaints from the residents turned into a policy by the City Council and here we are today with a program in place that's working, it's effective, it's well run and it's proving itself."
Salvaggio said the cameras were installed in January and February of 2018, but the city started issuing citations in March. "During that time period, we've had 60,000 incidents of running of red lights and more than 50,000 actual citations issued," Salvaggio said.
Salvaggio said drivers have been caught on camera going as much as 78 miles per hour in the 45 mph zone and engaging in very hazardous behavior, like running through stop lights long after they turn red.
"We're talking five, six, seven, eight seconds after the light," Salvaggio said, adding "the accidents on Bandera, just because of the speeds, and the traffic, they can be deadly."
Salvaggio said the 39 percent reduction they've seen in accidents is about what he expected.
"It's working out exactly how we thought it would. Our research showed we could expect anywhere from a 20 to 40 percent reduction in the amount of red light camera incidents and that overall we'd look at a 25 to 40 percent reduction in the long run on the amount of accidents," Salvaggio said.
Salvaggio said drivers now understand that traffic enforcement in Leon Valley is serious business. "Are people learning from this? Absolutely, they're learning from this. The driver behavior has changed considerably. We hear from people that haven't even run it and (they say) 'when I come into Leon Valley, I make sure I stop for the lights.' Well, you should be stopping for those lights regardless of where you're at, but the beauty is, they're doing it in Leon Valley and that's helping us not spend our resources, our police, EMS and fire department time," Salvaggio said.
Kuenstler said Leon Valley welcomes all the people who pass through the city, but they want the drivers to obey the law. Kuenstler said the 13,000 or so people who live in Leon Valley have been paying for the mistakes of the drivers who pass through the area carelessly.
"Only six percent of them are Leon Valley residents. 94 percent reside elsewhere. It's not a popular initiative with folks outside of Leon Valley, but Leon Valley residents like it. They like the calming effect it has had on the city and on Bandera Road in particular."
Salvaggio said, "I like that the people who are violating the law, causing those accidents, are the ones who are actually paying for the cost of those accidents. Those things now are being paid by the offenders and not by the citizens of this community."
Salvaggio said the money they've collected in fines has gone right back into traffic safety initiatives.
"We've been able to add four new officers to get out there on the street and additional helping out with traffic issues on the streets. We have better signage, better street lights and every bit of the money goes right back into traffic safety programs," Salvaggio said.
Salvaggio said they will continue to study the impact of the program so that they will continue to improve any safety issue that may arise. They also plan on adding more cameras to the system as time and funding allow.