Traffic camera vendor set to meet with MDOT

The Mississippi DOT is haggling wtih an Arizona company over the installation of cameras at traffic intersections (Associated Press photo)

The Associated Press

1/22/2008

JACKSON, Miss. — At least two cities have an interest in the outcome of a Jan. 29 meeting between an Arizona company and the Mississippi Department of Transportation over a project to install cameras at certain traffic intersections.

Officials with American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz., hope the meeting with MDOT engineers will result in an agreement to allow them to mount cameras on state-owned traffic signals without having to tie into the signals' electrical systems.

"We're hoping to confirm the engineering plans allowing us to move forward," said ATS spokesman Josh Weiss. "But we have no idea regarding a date" for approval.

MDOT engineers had all but signed off on the program in August, but transportation commissioners and the department's attorneys delayed approval after citing liability concerns.

MDOT's liability, at least in part, comes from its ownership of the roadways and traffic signals at Tupelo intersections where the cameras would be installed.

Had the intersections been on non-state roads, MDOT's involvement would have been unnecessary.

"There were so many cities beginning to want to do it," said MDOT engineer Mike Stokes. "We're being cautious. MDOT would rather be safer than sorry."

Tupelo and Southaven have signed up for ATS systems. Columbus has signed with Redflex, also of Scottsdale, Ariz. Hattiesburg officials currently are considering a similar program and recently heard a presentation from camera vendor Traffipax of Linthium, Md.

Plans by all the companies call for attaching cameras to traffic signals at targeted intersections. When the signals turned from yellow to red, the cameras would start recording.

Any vehicle caught going through an intersection at that time would be filmed and its registered owner sent a citation. Of each paid ticket, the company would receive a portion and the city would get the remainder.

MDOT officials in August said they worried the cameras' electrical components could cause a traffic-signal failure and leave the department open for a lawsuit in case of an accident.

Since then, MDOT has met several times with local officials and from the camera vendors, but a deal has yet to be reached.