Hey, is that a camera?

Traffic cameras on new signals act as motion sensors, do not take photos

Motorists wait at the recently renovated intersection of College and Main streets. The renovation of the intersection included the placement of traffic sensors above the traffic lights. According to the city, the sole purpose of the sensors is to detect traffic for maintenance purposes, not to record traffic violations. - photo by EDDIE LEDBETTER/staff

traffic sensor wide3 — Motorists wait at the recently renovated intersection of College and Main streets. The renovation of the intersection included the placement of traffic sensors above the traffic lights. According to the city, the sole purpose of the sensors is to detect traffic for maintenance purposes, not to record traffic violations. - photo by EDDIE LEDBETTER/staff

Drivers fearing they are being watched by cameras at the recently renovated intersection of West Main and College streets needn’t worry, according to engineers for the city of Statesboro.
Cameras were installed above traffic lights when crews finished work on the crossroads last month, but not to peek into vehicles, catch speeders or track down runners of red lights.
The sole function of the new equipment is traffic detection, said Marcos Trejo, an engineer with the city.
“The cameras can tell when vehicles are at the lights,” Trejo said. “They detect differences in colors and contrast-levels in pixels. So, when a car moves into the area, the cameras pick it up and send a relaying signal to a box controlling the light.
“We cannot use them to detect traffic violations,” he continued. “We can measure traffic counts and adjust timing, but the cameras do not do any recording.”
The four cameras, which rise slightly above the signals on poles, are a first for the city and potentially a way to reduce maintenance costs.
Traffic cameras were placed at the lights in lieu of traditional induction loops — the electronic system often placed under roadways to detect the presence of vehicles.
“It is a different tool that will be more cost-effective in the long run. It offers more advantages than traditional traffic loops,” Trejo said. “The cameras save us the trouble of cutting into the pavement for installation. Also, in the future, when those sensors go out, we would have to cut more into the pavement and would end up having potholes everywhere.”
If the equipment ultimately works as planned, cameras could spring up at additional locations.
“With this technology getting cheaper and cheaper, as it gets popular, we thought we’d try it and see what kind of benefit we could gain. From our studies, we feel that we will reduce maintenance costs by using these,” the engineer said. “We are going to try them out and see how it works. If all goes well, we may begin putting them at other intersections around town.”

Jeff Harrison may be reached at (912) 489-9454.

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