Red light runners: Hundreds of crashes, five deaths, yet no increase in fines

Tuesday, 8 May 2018

More than 250 drivers ran red lights in a short space of time at four of Auckland's most notorious intersections last week, but new intersection cameras are not being fully used.

In 2017, five people died and 30 were seriously injured in 477 crashes related to drivers running red lights. That compared with four deaths and 79 serious injuries in the five years prior.

In more than 150 responses to a callout on Neighbourly.co.nz people said red light running was 'everywhere', and terrifying.

'Belmont, Lake Rd/Williamson Ave … Drivers seem more than happy to take on bunches of kids crossing on the pedestrian phase knowing they will get out of the way,' Chris Barton of Bayswater posted.

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'As a road cyclist, I see red-runners every time I go out. Some are so late the other cars have started off. Is an extra five minutes worth dying for?' Tony Davenport from Chatswood said.

Red light runners on the corner of East Tamaki and Bairds Rd intersection in Otara

However, one self-confessed red-light runner said drivers had little choice: 'To be quite frank, with Auckland traffic the way it is and with no genuine measures in the pipeline to ease congestion, I can fully understand why people run red lights…I do it when trying to get on Lake Road,' the Devonport resident wrote on Neighbourly.

At one Otara intersection alone, Stuff reporters observed 109 drivers entering the intersection on a red light over three half-hour sessions between April 30 and May 4.

Reporters observed 109 drivers entering and crossing a notorious intersection in Otara in three half-hour sessions last week.

At two west Auckland intersections, monitored by red light cameras, reporters noted 120 drivers running red lights in the same time period. Drivers were only counted if they entered the intersection on a red light. At a North Shore intersection, 27 red light runners were observed in 90 minutes.

'All the intersections are bad. Not one is immune to red light runners,' Willis Robertson from Avondale said.

A truck is one of 27 drivers reporters observed entering this infamous North Shore intersection of Glenfield/Manuka and Hogans Rds in three half-hour sessions between April 30 and May 2.

'People are in such a hurry these days to get to places. Also traffic congestion can be pretty bad but that is not the only reason why people run red lights,' Claire Woodbury of Glenfield posted, suggesting driver's attitudes were part of the story.

Crash figures have steadily climbed to the 477 last year from 387 red light crashes in 2012, while fines issued by police have remained steady.

A van runs the red at the Lincoln Rd/Swanson Rd intersection, even though it is monitored by a red light camera.

'We see the devastating consequences of crashes, families needlessly torn apart because someone wanted to get to their destination that little bit faster,' director of the road safety charity, Brake, Caroline Perry said.

From July last year, Auckland Transport expanded its use of red light cameras, adding cameras to six intersections at a cost of $120,000 per unit. These added to seven intersections monitored since 2015. .

Despite a red light camera installed in late July, 2017, reporters observed 72 drivers running fully red lights at this west Auckland intersection of Swanson Rd, Lincoln Rd and Great North Rd.

But information from police obtained under the Official Information Act showed no $150 fines had been issued for violations caught by the new red light cameras. Police had not been advised by AT on an enforcement start date, national manager road policing Steve Greally wrote.

Auckland Transport said the cameras were turned on in January and, since then, issues with calibration had been worked on, with the challenge being to ensure they were accurately recording drivers' details before tickets were issued. It was expected enforcement would start in the next week or two, group manager of network management and safety Randhir Karma said.

'Once that is up and running, their effectiveness will improve,' Karma said.

Inspector Rod Honan, road policing manager Counties Manukau admitted that, unfortunately, with traffic congestion, police were seeing more people running intersections with red light cameras.

In a statement, police said they 'couldn't be everywhere at once' and it primarily came down to individual driver responsibility.

In 2017, Auckland police issued 2150 tickets, compared with 1900 in 2016 and 2700 in 2015.

In response to questions about why police weren't doing more and whether they would consider a blitz, Honan said: 'Our police are working on our roads every day trying to stop risky behaviour, such as people running red lights. This is a real focus for us in the Auckland region.'