A Data Collection Method for Red Light Running

The law enforcement arm for a growing number of agencies is turning to automated camera technology for their enforcement of the red light violation. Traffic signal agencies are often called upon to assist in determining the feasibility and placement of automated enforcement. While there are systems on the market that can perform data collection of RLR occurrences, the City of Franklin, Tennessee has found it more feasible to gather this data using its own resources. This paper presents a method for traffic signal agencies to collect this data as an aid to their analysis of RLR activity. The collection method consists of overhead videotaping of selected intersection approaches during key periods of traffic activity. The videotape recording is then returned to the office for playback and tabulation of the approach activity for the period. The tabulation form is designed to enable the identification, for each turning movement, of the frequency of vehicles passing through the green, yellow or red display. The paper describes four ways in which the RLR videotape sample serves the agency. The paper also discusses the design of the tabulation form, the various data items that it makes available, the issues encountered in its application, and the experience gained in the use of videotaping for data collection. The paper finally describes the analysis of the data, as an aid to the City's RLR camera feasibility investigation. The author submits that other agencies will find the method useful, and offers the form as a possible standard for future publications on traffic engineering studies.