Batavia to join red light camera brigade

Batavia is joining the growing number of towns looking into installing red-light cameras at dangerous intersections.

Having the cameras has decreased accidents in other towns, Police Chief Gary Schira said. He plans to research the issue and bring proposals to the City Council by early next year.

"In my mind, it's somewhat foolish not to use this technology that's proven to reduce accidents," he said.

The cameras would take pictures of vehicles that fully enter an intersection after a traffic light turns red. When the $100 tickets are mailed to the owner of the car, the owners are given a Web site they can log onto to see a photo of their car in the intersection with the red light.

The cameras take a picture of the offending vehicle's license plate.

Each camera catches about an average of 90 drivers a month, Schira said. The city would be able to review the citations before they were mailed and would be able to pull any that it thought didn't warrant a ticket, he said.

The cameras should pay for themselves as well, Schira said. The company that maintains them charges a monthly fee, but it is less than the city would get in ticket fees, he said.

The city would have to do a study to find out which intersections have a high volume of accidents caused by drivers running red lights before installing any, Schira said.

He said intersections along Randall Road, Fabyan Parkway and Kirk Road were possibilities.

Anyone can win this race: The Fox River Trail Runners group is hosting a race on Nov. 18 where you don't have to be the fastest to win.

Prizes for the four-mile "predictor" race -- frozen turkeys -- will be given to the 25 runners who guess closest to their actual race time before the race. No watches are allowed on the course.

There will also be a one-mile youth race for children 12 and under hosted by the Batavia Accelerators. There will be prizes awarded for the top five male and female runners.

There is also a $50 prize given to the runner with the best Thanksgiving-themed running attire.

The youth mile starts at 8:30 a.m. and costs $10; the Four-Mile Predictor starts at 9 a.m. and costs $20. Race day registration is $12 and $25, respectively, and is from 7 to 8:15 a.m. at the race headquarters, River West Family Fitness, 108 First St. in Batavia.

Sign-up is available at www.signmeup.com.

The event is a fundraiser for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry. Runners and spectators are asked to bring a donation of a non-perishable food item.

Clifford comes to town: Clifford the Big Red Dog will visit the Batavia Public Library for stories and activities at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

No registration is required for the event. Families are encouraged to bring their cameras to get a picture with Clifford.

The library is at 10 S. Batavia Ave.

lhague@dailyherald.com