By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Smile, you’re on camera the red light cameras at the intersection of Brunswick Pike and Franklin Corner Road/Bakers Basin Road, that is.
In the four months since the red light camera system has been in place, more than 5,200 summonses have been issued to drivers who failed to stop for the red light or who did not make a complete stop before turning right on red.
Those summonses include 2,158 warnings issued during October, when the system was activated for a one-month warning period, according to the Lawrence Township Police Department. Since the system went “live” in mid-November, 3,107 summonses were issued.
Township Council awarded a $1.1 million contract to American Traffic Solutions, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2010 to operate the photo enforcement system for five years. The company will receive $4,625 per month to monitor the intersection, but the township anticipates receiving $428,000 in fines during 2012.
As a car or truck passes through the intersection after the traffic light has turned red, a camera will take a photograph and video of the its license plate. A photograph of the license plate also is taken of cars or trucks that do not come to a complete stop before making a right turn on red, said police Lt. Charles B. Edgar.
The back of the car was chosen for the photograph and video because some states only issue license plates for the rear of the car, he said. The photograph and the video are sent to the Lawrence Township Police Department, which determines if a violation was committed. A summons is sent to the registered owner of the car or truck, based on the photograph of the license plate.
The fine for failing to stop for a red light is $140, but the violation does not carry points because there is no way to identify the driver. The inability to identify the driver also is the reason the summons is issued to the registered owner.
Lawrence is taking part in a five-year pilot program, sponsored by the state Department of Transportation, to improve safety at the intersection of Brunswick Pike/Route 1 and Franklin Corner Road/Bakers Basin Road, according to township officials.
The intersection was chosen because it has consistently ranked among the top intersections for accidents. There were 88 accidents in 2007, 36 accidents in 2008, 61 in 2009, 53 in 2010 and 76 last year, based on Lawrence Township Police Department records.

