Sunshine Advisory, June 2007

A Bulletin on Iowa Open Meetings and Public Records Laws By Attorney General Tom Miller

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Red Light Running Camera Enforcement in Cedar Rapids and Developing Guidelines For Selection and use of Red Light Running Countermeasures, Midwest Transportation Consortium, Final Report November 2011.

Red light running (RLR) is a problem in the US that has resulted in 165,000 injuries and 907 fatalities annually. In Iowa, RLR-related crashes make up 24.5 percent of all crashes and account for 31.7 percent of fatal and major injury crashes at signalized intersections. RLR crashes are a safety concern due to the increased likelihood of injury compared to other types of crashes. One tool used to combat red light running is automated enforcement in the form of RLR cameras. Automated enforcement, while effective, is often controversial. Cedar Rapids, Iowa installed RLR and speeding cameras at seven intersections across the city. The intersections were chosen based on crash rates and whether cameras could feasibly be placed at the intersection approaches. The cameras were placed starting in February 2010 with the last one becoming operational in December 2010. An analysis of the effect of the cameras on safety at these intersections was determined prudent in helping to justify the installation and effectiveness of the cameras. The objective of this research was to assess the safety effectiveness of the RLR program that has been implemented in Cedar Rapids. This was accomplished by analyzing data to determine changes in the following metrics:  Reductions in red light violation rates based on overall changes, time of day changes, and changes by lane  Effectiveness of the cameras over time  Time in which those running the red light enter the intersection  Changes in the average headway between vehicles entering the intersection

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Red Light Running Camera Enforcement in Cedar Rapids and Developing Guidelines for Selection and Use of Red Light Running Countermeasures Final Report, November 2011

Red light running (RLR) is a problem in the US that has resulted in 165,000 injuries and 907 fatalities annually. In Iowa, RLR-related crashes make up 24.5 percent of all crashes and account for 31.7 percent of fatal and major injury crashes at signalized intersections. RLR crashes are a safety concern due to the increased likelihood of injury compared to other types of crashes. One tool used to combat red light running is automated enforcement in the form of RLR cameras. Automated enforcement, while effective, is often controversial. Cedar Rapids, Iowa installed RLR and speeding cameras at seven intersections across the city. The intersections were chosen based on crash rates and whether cameras could feasibly be placed at the intersection approaches. The cameras were placed starting in February 2010 with the last one becoming operational in December 2010. An analysis of the effect of the cameras on safety at these intersections was determined prudent in helping to justify the installation and effectiveness of the cameras. The objective of this research was to assess the safety effectiveness of the RLR program that has been implemented in Cedar Rapids. This was accomplished by analyzing data to determine changes in the following metrics:  Reductions in red light violation rates based on overall changes, time of day changes, and changes by lane  Effectiveness of the cameras over time  Time in which those running the red light enter the intersection  Changes in the average headway between vehicles entering the intersection

Utilization of Remote Traffic Monitoring Devices for Urban Freeway Work Zone Assessment Final Report, January 2012

The objective of this project was to promote and facilitate analysis and evaluation of the impacts of road construction activities in Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative (SWZDI) states. The two primary objectives of this project were to assess urban freeway work-zone impacts through use of remote monitoring devices, such as radar-based traffic sensors, traffic cameras, and traffic signal loop detectors, and evaluate the effectiveness of using these devices for such a purpose. Two high-volume suburban freeway work zones, located on Interstate 35/80 (I-35/I-80) through the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area, were evaluated at the request of the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).

School Bus Safety Study: Kadyn’s Law, December 2012

In 2012, the Iowa legislature passed a bill for an act relating to school bus safety, including providing penalties for failure to obey school bus warning lamps and stop signal arms, providing for a school bus safety study and administrative remedies, and making an appropriation. The bill, referred to as Iowa Senate File (SF) 2218 or “Kadyn’s Law,” became effective March 16, 2012. A multiagency committee addressed three specific safety study elements of Kadyn’s Law as follows: * Use of cameras mounted on school buses to enhance the safety of children riding the buses and aid in enforcement of motor vehicle laws pertaining to stop-arm violations * Feasibility of requiring school children to be picked up and dropped off on the side of the road on which their home is located * Inclusion of school bus safety as a priority in driver training curriculum This report summarizes the findings for each of these topics.

Soft Photogrammetry for Highway Engineering, HR-387, 1998

The SoftPlotter, a soft photogrammetric software and Silicon Graphics workstation, was used to evaluate the accuracy of soft photogrammetry and identify applications of this technology to highway engineering. A comparative study showed that SoftPlotter compares well with other software such as Socket and Integraph. The PC software TNTMips is inexpensive but needs further development to be comparable to SoftPlotter. The Campus Project showed that soft photogrammetry is accurate for traditional photogrammetric applications. It is also accurate for producing orthophoto and base maps for Geographic Information Systems (GISs). The Highway Project showed that soft photogrammetry is accurate for highway engineering and that the technical staff at the Iowa Department of Transportation (IA DOT) can be easily trained in this new technology. The research demonstrated that soft photogrammetry can be used with low-flight helicopter photography for large-scale mapping in highway engineering. The researchers recommend that research be conducted to test the use of digital cameras instead of the traditional aerial cameras in helicopter photography. Research that examines the use of soft photogrammetry with video logging imagery for inventory and GIS studies in highway maintenance is also recommended. Research is also warranted into the integration of soft photogrammetry with virtual reality, which can be used in three-dimensional designing and visualization of highways and subdivisions in real time. The IA DOT owns one analytical plotter and two analogue plotters. The analytical plotter is used for aerial triangulation, and the analogue plotters are used for plotting. However, neither is capable of producing orthophotos. Therefore, the researchers recommend that the IA DOT purchase soft photogrammetric workstations for orthophoto production, and if and when required, use it for aerial triangulation and plotting. In the future, the analogue plotters may become obsolete. At that time, the researchers recommend that the analogue plotters be phased out and replaced by soft photogrammetric workstations.

A Survey of Traffic Safety Culture Among Iowa Adults, TS-1101, 2012

Iowa’s traffic safety culture is influenced by laws and policies, enforcement methods, driver education, roadway engineering, and drivers’ behaviors. The Center for Social and Behavioral Research at the University of Northern Iowa was contracted by the Iowa Department of Transportation to conduct a general population survey of adult Iowans. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,088 adult Iowans from October to December 2011. A dual-frame (cell phone and landline) sampling design was used. The interview covered a wide range of traffic safety topics (e.g., traffic safety policies, enforcement techniques, and distracted driving). Most Iowans said driving in Iowa is about as safe now as it was 5 years ago; however, one-fourth said driving in Iowa is less safe now. There are a number of driving-related behaviors many adult Iowans consider serious threats to traffic safety and never acceptable to do while driving. Yet, many Iowans report often seeing other drivers engaging in these behaviors and admit engaging in some themselves. For example, nearly 1 in 5 adult Iowa drivers said they have sent or read a text message or email while driving in the past 30 days despite this being prohibited since July of 2011. A slight majority said they support using cameras on highways, interstates, and city streets to automatically ticket drivers for speeding, with even stronger support for red light cameras. A comprehensive approach to traffic safety in Iowa is required to encourage protective factors that enhance traffic safety and reduce the impact of detrimental factors.

Effect of Video Camera-Based Remote Roadway Condition Monitoring on Snow Removal-Related Maintenance Operations. 2014

Remote monitoring through the use of cameras is widely utilized for traffic operation, but has not been utilized widely for roadway maintenance operations. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has implemented a new remote monitoring system, referred to as a Cloud-enabled Remote Video Streaming (CRVS) camera system for snow removal-related maintenance operations in the winter. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of the CRVS camera system in snow removal-related maintenance operations. This study was conducted in two parts: opinion surveys of maintenance station supervisors and an analysis on snow removal-related maintenance costs. The responses to the opinion surveys mostly displayed positive reviews of the use of the CRVS cameras. On a scale of 1 (least effective) to 5 (most effective), the average overall effectiveness given by the station supervisors was 4.3. An expedition trip for this study was defined as a trip that was made to just check the roadways if snow-removal was necessary. The average of the responses received from surveys was calculated to be a 33 percent reduction in expedition trips. For the second part of this study, an analysis was performed on the snow removal-related maintenance cost data provided by UDOT to see if the installation of a CRVS camera had an effect in reducing expedition trips. This expedition cost comparison was performed for 10 sets of maintenance stations within Utah. It was difficult to make any definitive inferences from the comparison of expedition costs over the years for which precipitation and expedition cost data were available; hence a statistical analysis was performed using the Mixed Model ANOVA. This analysis resulted in an average of 14 percent higher ratio of expedition costs at maintenance stations with a CRVS camera before the installation of the camera compared to the ratio of expedition costs after the installation of the camera. This difference was not proven to be statistically significant at the 95 percent confident level, but indicated that the installation of CRVS cameras was on the average helpful in reducing expedition costs and may be considered practically significant. It is recommended that more detailed and consistent maintenance cost records be prepared for accurate analysis of cost records for this type of study in the future.

The Effectiveness of Iowa's Automated Red Light Running Enforcement Programs, 2007

The Federal Highway Administration estimates that red light running causes more than 100,000 crashes and 1,000 fatalities annually and results in an estimated economic loss of over $14 billion per year in the United States. In Iowa alone, a statewide analysis of red light running crashes, using crash data from 2001 to 2006, indicates that an average of 1,682 red light running crashes occur at signalized intersections every year. As a result, red light running poses a significant safety issue for communities. Communities rarely have the resources to place additional law enforcement in the field to combat the problem and they are increasingly using automated red light running camera-enforcement systems at signalized intersections. In Iowa, three communities currently use camera enforcement since 2004. These communities include Davenport, Council Bluffs, and Clive. As communities across the United States attempt to address red light running, a number of communities have implemented red light running camera enforcement programs. This report examines the red light running programs in Iowa and summarizes results of analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of such cameras.

Red Light Running in Iowa: The Scope, Impact, and Possible Implications, 2000

This research study, a cooperative effort between the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University, reviewed red light running reduction studies and programs nationwide, examined the scope of this phenomenon in Iowa, and proposed countermeasures to address significant violation problems.