Watching Traffic Does Not Make Our Roads Safe

The following article describes how one community is throwing money away watching traffic. According to one official the purpose of the $800,000 boondogle is to allow government to monitor traffic accidents so as to minimize the disruption that the accidents might cause.

Will someone please tell me what's wrong with this goal?

For instance, why not spend these limited dollars on something that eliminates traffic accidents instead of just observes them?

Please go to our web site and learn how to eliminate traffic accidents: http://stopcarcrashes.com

__________________________________________________________________

May 31, 2009
Cameras to record I-64 traffic conditions

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Video cameras will be installed along Interstate 64 between Charleston and Huntington as part of an $800,000 project that will allow the Department of Transportation to monitor traffic and road conditions.
The cameras, which will be placed at strategic intersections and exits on I-64 in the southern part of the state, will allow the DOT to supervise accidents and emergencies along the interstate that may cause traffic congestion problems.
The cameras are part of the Intelligent Transportation System that the DOT is implementing across the state. In addition to the cameras, the ITS includes dynamic message boards and weather road sensors, said Brent Walker, DOT spokesman.
Six to eight cameras will be installed on I-64, and in other problem areas in the state, such as outside of the Coliseum in Morgantown, Walker said, but more will be set up along I-79 and other parts of the state as federal funding becomes available.
Funding comes from the Highway Safety Improvement Funds and the Congestion, Mitigation and Air Quality funds. The state DOT is not required to match any of the federal funds, which will funnel in over the next few years.
"We will have TV cameras installed that are in full operation in the fall," said Chuck Runyan, chief of emergency operations for the DOT. "Once we get that, we feel that we can handle anything thrown at us.
"From the management center, we can talk directly to all of the 911 centers in the state. We will be working hand-in-hand."
The cameras will allow highway workers to monitor accidents as they happen, and be able to direct emergency personnel to the correct locations. The main purpose of the cameras will be to monitor traffic, but there is the potential for other applications once the cameras are in place.
"The cameras can pick up a button from about two miles away," Walker said. "West Virginia is not blessed with many flat, straight roads, but [the cameras] will be at some important exits and intersections."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Video cameras will be installed along Interstate 64 between Charleston and Huntington as part of an $800,000 project that will allow the Department of Transportation to monitor traffic and road conditions.
The cameras, which will be placed at strategic intersections and exits on I-64 in the southern part of the state, will allow the DOT to supervise accidents and emergencies along the interstate that may cause traffic congestion problems.
The cameras are part of the Intelligent Transportation System that the DOT is implementing across the state. In addition to the cameras, the ITS includes dynamic message boards and weather road sensors, said Brent Walker, DOT spokesman.
Six to eight cameras will be installed on I-64, and in other problem areas in the state, such as outside of the Coliseum in Morgantown, Walker said, but more will be set up along I-79 and other parts of the state as federal funding becomes available.
Funding comes from the Highway Safety Improvement Funds and the Congestion, Mitigation and Air Quality funds. The state DOT is not required to match any of the federal funds, which will funnel in over the next few years.
"We will have TV cameras installed that are in full operation in the fall," said Chuck Runyan, chief of emergency operations for the DOT. "Once we get that, we feel that we can handle anything thrown at us.
"From the management center, we can talk directly to all of the 911 centers in the state. We will be working hand-in-hand."
The cameras will allow highway workers to monitor accidents as they happen, and be able to direct emergency personnel to the correct locations. The main purpose of the cameras will be to monitor traffic, but there is the potential for other applications once the cameras are in place.
"The cameras can pick up a button from about two miles away," Walker said. "West Virginia is not blessed with many flat, straight roads, but [the cameras] will be at some important exits and intersections."
Once the cameras are installed, the public will also be able to monitor the camera feeds, Walker said.
"They'll be able to pull up the Web and see everything that we do," he said. "If they are getting ready to travel, they can prepare a little bit better."
As part of the ITS, the state is also looking to add another 13 or 14 dynamic message boards across the state during a $2.1 million sign project, Walker said.
Currently, the DOT has 15 message boards that are used along the major roadways to give the public early warning that there is an accident or emergency ahead.
The third part of the ITS will be Roadway Weather Information Systems, which are sensors placed on the road that can send signals to the transportation management center about road conditions that might not be visible to the naked eye, such as patches of black ice or sections of the road that were too cold for salt to be effective, Walker said.
The cameras are the first wave of improvements the DOT is planning on unveiling in the fall to help monitor the roadways in the Mountain State, but drivers should keep an eye out for more monitoring systems as funding becomes available.
"Anyplace that we see congestion or particularly dangerous intersections with a propensity for accidents, we'll look into installing cameras," Walker said.