LAWRENCE: Red light camera given green light

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   State Department of Transportation officials have given the go-ahead to Lawrence Township to begin issuing tickets for motorists who are caught on the red light enforcement camera at the intersection of Route 1 and Bakers Basin Road.
   But township officials are not quite ready to begin issuing new tickets, nor to process tickets that have been placed on hold since the DOT ordered the township to hold off issuing them until the timing of the traffic signal could be checked and certified to be in compliance.
   Tickets issued after June 15 for running through a red traffic signal were to be held in abeyance and not issued to the vehicle’s registered owner until after the study was completed, according to officials.
   And Municipal Court Judge Kevin Nerwinski postponed all action regarding the court’s processing of traffic summonses issued for running through the red light, effective June 21, township officials said.
   At issue was whether the yellow traffic signal stayed on for an adequate amount of time, alerting motorists that the traffic light was going to change from green to red. A study conducted by Lawrence Township officials revealed that the yellow signal met the formula that determines how long it must stay on before changing to red.
   In a July 25 letter to Mayor Jim Kownacki, DOT officials wrote that “we have determined that the certification is in compliance” and that “Lawrence Township may resume issuing violation notices at all authorized red light camera pilot program intersections.”
   Nevertheless, the Police Department is not issuing tickets because township officials are reviewing the process with Municipal Attorney David Roskos, according to Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun. Township officials are being cautious because of the importance of the program, he said.
   ”We feel very confident that we will be able to issue all of the tickets that are on hold. We want to be sure that all drivers are being fairly treated. This is just an extra level of due diligence,” Mr. Krawczun said.