In Fremont red light cameras seem to have reduced accidents at intersections equipped with the cameras.
From 7/1/1995 to 6/30/2005 a 5 yr. period before the installation of the first set of cameras we had 734 traffic signal related accidents.
From 7/1/2000 to 6/30/2005 the rate went down to 626 accidents or a 15% decrease. In those five years we also had an overall increase in traffic volume in Fremont.
As to fines from red light violations. By Penal Code statutes the City of Fremont receives between 9% and 11% of each traffic fine with the rest of the money going to the State of California and the County of Alameda.
We would actually make more money if we did red light enforcement only with traffic officers since we have a contract with RedFlex who installs and maintains the systems and they receive a portion of the fines. We truly did install them to reduce accidents and by all accounts they have helped with this problem.
I don’t want to get into the debate of speed bumps, humps. They do slow down traffic, but I have found they simply route the traffic to different streets without speed bumps, humps and so they don’t cure the problem of speeding on residential streets but simply move it to another location.