A bid to shave a minute or so off a trip to Costco by pushing the envelope and running the red light at Airport Way turning onto eastbound Daniels Street will likely cost you $490 starting March 16.
That’s when the grace period ends for those drivers caught by red light cameras that were activated Friday at the intersection.
Run a redlight any time of the day or night for the first 30 days, and you’ll get a courtesy warning with the proof mailed to you.
Do so after that and it’ll be a citation.
It will cost you $490 and one point applied to your driver’s license.
You might be able to avoid the point by attending driver’s school but that is up to the judge.
American Traffic Solutions is banking on Manteca drivers running red lights.
For the firm to retrieve $268,000 a year under their contract, 2,234 motorists would need to be caught running a red light in Manteca during a 12-month period.
That is how many tickets it will take to generate $268,000 for the city. The city receives $120 of every $490 red light ticket with the rest going to the judicial system.
Should the city not generate $268,000 over a 12-month period, ATS would then forgive the balance.
If the $120 per ticket revenue exceeds $268,000, the city will then retain the money generated.
The City Council, in approving red light cameras, earmarked any extra money beyond $268,000 to help bolster the Manteca Police Department’s traffic unit.
The cost of adding another officer between pay, benefits, retirement, and workman’s compensation is now pushing $170,000. That is how much the city would receive if an additional 1,416 red light tickets were issued in a given year.
It would be on top of the initial 2,234 tickets to make ATS whole.
As such, 3,650 red light violations would have to be caught, documented and verified at the five intersections to even hire one officer. That is the equivalent of 10 tickets a day.
The math underscores a point Manteca Police Chief Stephen Schluer has made repeatedly, including at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, that the red light cameras are an enforcement tool and not a revenue generator.
“The goal is to get compliance,” Schluer said.
Councilman Mike Morowit would like to piggyback on the red light camera system at intersections with traffic signals that do not have the camera by posting signs warning red light violations can result in a $490 fine.
Morowit said the goal is to remind people of the potential cost for not complying with the law.
Schluer noted the ticket data will be provided on a regular basis to the city leaders.
The police chief added should the cameras effectively reduce or virtually eliminate red light running at an intersection, they could be relocated elsewhere.
The goal, he emphasized, is to stop red light running to improve public safety and reduce significant property losses.
Other council members suggested signs listing the fine amount of $490 could also be added to intersections where ATS will install signs that simply warn that the intersections have red light cameras.
The council will decide on the possibility of additional signs at their first meeting in March.
Red light running is the main factor in almost 20 percent of the 1,000 plus annual traffic collisions in Manteca.
The other intersections receiving red light cameras are:
*Northgate Drive at North Main Street.
*Yosemite Avenue at Union Road..
*Main Street at Louise Avenue.
*Yosemite Avenue at Commerce Drive-Northwoods Avenue.
All but the Union and Yosemite cameras will be up and running with a month.
Union and Yosemite will take longer to activate due to issues extended electricity.
There will be 30-day grace periods as well at each intersection when the red light camera system is up and running.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
