| Questions raised about timing of yellow lights City manager denies effort to issue more tickets 06/03/2001 By Wendy Hundley / The Dallas Morning News
Marc Wolens got a ticket last month for running a red light at Plano
Parkway and Preston Road.
While no one likes to get a ticket, Mr. Wolens was especially irked, he
said, because he felt the yellow light had turned red too quickly for
him to have time to clear the intersection.
"It really bugged me that it was so short," Mr. Wolens said. "I wasn't
speeding, and I didn't try to gun it to make the intersection."
While it might be easy to dismiss Mr. Wolens as just another disgruntled
motorist griping about a ticket, he's not alone in his concerns.
At a time when many cities, including Plano, are considering cameras to
combat the problem of red-light running, U.S. Rep. Dick Armey's office
issued a report last month titled "Red Light Camera Scam: The Red Light
Running Crisis: Is It Intentional?"
The report suggests that some cities are installing cameras at
intersections as a way to catch more motorists and increase municipal
revenues. A better way of avoiding accidents would be to increase the
length of yellow lights, the report concludes.
"Why have so many people become wanton red light runners all of a
sudden?" the report asks. "The answer seems to be that changes made to
accommodate camera enforcement have produced yellow light times that, in
many cases, are shortened to the point that they are inadequate."
Plano City Manager Tom Muehlenbeck said the allegations are
preposterous. "I think that's the furthest thing from the truth," Mr.
Muehlenbeck said. "If a city has to rely on that, it's in trouble."
At Tuesday's Plano City Council meeting, council member Steve Stovall
asked city staff to prepare a report about the timing of the city's
yellow lights. Mr. Stovall said that his request was prompted by
concerns voiced by several citizens and that he wants to provide some
information to clear the air.
"I feel confident that the traffic engineering division of our city has
not engaged in anything they shouldn't have," Mr. Stovall said.
He said he thinks the city's yellow lights operate in the normal range.
However, he doesn't rule out the possibility of occasional malfunctions.
"If there is one that is shorter than it should be, we need to know
about it," Mr. Stovall said, adding that he had not read the report
prepared by Mr. Armey's office.
The report was issued to draw attention to the misuse of traffic cameras
in some cities around the county, said S. Kevin Washington, a spokesman
for Mr. Armey, R-Flower Mound.
"We're pleased with the level of attention this issue has gotten," Mr.
Washington said.
He said Mr. Armey supports the rights of cities to empower themselves,
"but when the evidence shows [red lights] are being used improperly or
stacking the deck against citizens, that's the problem."
Convinced that the yellow light at Plano Parkway and Preston Road was
too short, Mr. Wolens went back a couple of days after he got his ticket
and timed it with a stopwatch.
He said he found that the light stayed yellow only 2.8 seconds – a full
second less than other intersections in the vicinity, which he timed at
3.8 and 3.9 seconds.
"I tested it several times at each intersection," Mr. Wolens said.
Jeff Green is one of two senior traffic engineers responsible for
establishing the length of the yellow lights in Plano.
Mathematical equations, which take into account the roadway speeds and
deceleration rates of typical vehicles, are used to determine the
timing, which ranges from four to six seconds throughout the city, Mr.
Green said.
"In most cases, they're four or four and a half seconds," he said.
Mr. Green said the length of yellow lights has not changed in at least
12 years.
He said he can't imagine any prudent agency arbitrarily shortening the
duration of yellow lights. "It wouldn't be safe," Mr. Green said.
When asked about the 2.8-second yellow light timed by Mr. Wolens, Mr.
Green said, "I would have to say he's wrong."
Mr. Wolens admits that his tests were not scientific and says the light
could have been malfunctioning. "It could be a totally innocent thing,"
he said.
However, he said, "To drive safely, we need to have a reasonable
expectation. ... I've gone through that intersection before, and I don't
remember it being that short."
Mr. Wolens said that he recognizes the dangers of red-light running and
that he's not trying to discount the seriousness of the problem.
"But if they're shortening things to entrap us, that's not right," he
said.
Staff writer Wendy Hundley can be reached by e-mail at and at 214-977-6980 .
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