While West Windsor officials are still researching whether to bring traffic light cameras to three of the township’s road intersections, some residents have speculated that some were already installed in other intersections around town.
However, township officials say that some drivers have mistaken motion sensors atop traffic lights for traffic light cameras that snap pictures of red light violators. No intersection in the township has such a camera — yet.
The West Windsor Township Council discussed the possibility of installing those cameras with Police Chief Joseph Pica last month. The traffic light cameras, which take pictures of the cars and license plates of drivers who run red lights and can later be used to issue summonses, could be an option at the township’s busiest intersections.
The intersections that could be targeted are Route 571 and Clarksville and Route 1 and Carnegie Center Drive (the site of a fatal accident involving a truck a few years back), as well as Route 1 and Washington Road, where officials say people have seen drivers go through stop lights or not obey pedestrian laws.
But township officials are still in the preliminary stages of looking into the possibility of applying to the state Department of Transportation, seeking permission to install the lights. Part of the application would involve providing crash data for the intersections being considered.
If the township ultimately decides to pursue an application to the DOT and is successful, there would be advance notice to motorists and signs alerting drivers of the cameras. Because of the length of the process, Pica said he does not see any cameras being installed before the spring, if the township is successful in its application. The only other municipality in Mercer County that already has approval to use the cameras is Lawrence.
Reached this month, Pica said that the devices on top of some traffic lights in town, which look like cameras, are actually motion detectors.
“The old technology was to run a slip under the blacktop” to determine whether a car was approaching one side of the intersection, said Pica. “They’ve done away with that.” The sensors are used to determine when cars approach the intersection and help with traffic light timing.
Pica said the only camera that is located at a traffic light in town is one that is on Route 1 that is used by the state Department of Transportation for its website, which posts live images of traffic conditions for commuters.
