Millbrae red light tickets jump: 1,555 tickets in June, officials say cameras necessary to ensure public safety

A majority of the tickets were issued to drivers taking a right-hand turn to merge from Millbrae Avenue southbound onto Highway 101, which is where 595 drivers were recorded making what many consider a legal maneuver, according to Jim Lissner, who operates the website.

Lissner, who monitors red light cameras throughout the state, said he believes the city’s system is being over-vigilant in issuing tickets.

“I think it’s just bad for the reputation of the local area,” he said. “Millbrae is controlling part of the local access to the airport and BART, and taking advantage of it.”

There were 419 more tickets issued in June than the month prior, and the right-hand-turn tickets from Millbrae Avenue onto southbound Highway 101 were the most since May 2014, according to the archives on the website.

Councilman Wayne Lee attributed the hike in tickets on the general health of the economy, and said there are more cars on the road, which could contribute to there being more citations being issued.

“I think it’s just an upturn in more traffic,” he said.

City Clerk Angela Louis echoed those sentiments, and said the city is aware more citations are being issued, which is likely attributed to more cars on the road in Millbrae.

“The only reasoning we can say is an increase in traffic and increase in people driving through Millbrae,” she said.

Cameras are necessary because they require fewer police to regulate intersections and traffic infractions, which allows officers to focus on more pressing law enforcement demands, said Lee.

Millbrae, which has the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office provide its police services, outsources operation of its red light cameras to the San Mateo Police Department.

Other cameras are located at the intersection of Millbrae Avenue at Rollins Road, and Millbrae Avenue at El Camino Real.

Councilwoman Marge Colapietro said she believes the program has been effective in enhancing the safety of both drivers and pedestrians in Millbrae.

And since a notice is posted at each intersection where a camera is mounted, drivers who get cited had previously received fair warning.

“It’s our due diligence in protecting everyone,” she said.

Significantly fewer tickets were issued for cars driving straight through red lights, or turning left, according to the website.

The 188 drivers who received citations for making right turns from Millbrae Avenue westbound onto Rollins Road accounted for the second-most tickets issued.

Last year, a significant uptick in the amount of tickets issued occurred, as the monthly amount jumped in April from about an average of 600 tickets to more than 1,000 in May, which is roughly the amount that have been issued since.

A camera at the intersection of Highway 101 and Millbrae Avenue was replaced and repositioned last year, which contributed to the increased amount of tickets being issued, officials have said.

But the cameras have not been adjusted recently, said Lee, so there is nothing the city or police have done to contribute to the upswing in tickets.

The 3,577 total events recorded by Millbrae cameras in June was the most ever as well. Not every incident recorded by a camera results in a ticket.

Drivers who are ticketed have very little luck in successfully legally challenging the tickets, said Lissner.

“It’s tough,” he said. “Everything is against you, a lot of the time. They have photographic evidence.”

Millbrae has one of the most vigilant red light camera systems in the entire Bay Area, said Lissner, behind Newark, which is one of the most aggressive, especially in citing drivers taking a right-hand turn on red lights, said Lissner.

Lissner said the systems which rely on right turns for a majority of their tickets are the worst type, because they heavily regulate maneuvers which many drivers consider common and acceptable.

“Millbrae’s program is particularly dirty because of the predominance of right-turn tickets,” he said.

The city’s red light camera contract expires in October, and the City Council will need to vote to approve keeping the system in place, said Louis.

Lee though said he supports continuing the camera program, despite inconvenience drivers may feel they cause, because of the valuable role they play in ensuring drivers safety.

“I’m more concerned about safety than someone’s pocketbook,” he said.

Colapietro agreed, and said ensuring public safety is the council’s paramount concern.

“We have to make sure, not matter what we do, we have something that will protect everybody,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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