Are these Red Light Camera?

I think those are traffic light control cameras and not enforcment cameras. Compare to the photos in this link http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6698. It is kind of hard to tell because there aren't any that match this design.

Probably not when they are mounted next to the traffic lights. They have to be away and behind the intersection in order to record the car, its rear license plate (some states don't require license plates on the front of the vehicle) and the red/yellow/green status of the traffic light all at the same time, in one frame.

Also, see here: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6698

They don't look like red light cameras to me. They might be sensors to see if a car is stopped in a certain lane to control the traffic signal.

dobs108

What you see in the photo are cameras that control the lights at the intersection. Instead of using ground loops, some localities will use these cameras instead. When a vehicle approaches the intersection, the camera will trigger the controls and have the light change so that the approaching traffic can proceed through the intersection.

I wouldn't have expected them to be for traffic monitoring. It's a relatively minor road,with modest traffic east/west and minimal north/south--northbound emerges from a residential area with no through traffic (it's bound on three sides by water). There the only camera-like items I know of for quite a distance around, and seemingly match RLCs elsewhere (though those others ARE listed). I'll have to have another look at the other cameras.

They look like Traffic Cameras to me....
David

traffic control detectors

Not known to many but some of these "cameras" actually sense a strobe signal set at a specific frequency of flash and will switch the light in that direction to green designed to facilitate ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

There is no doubt in my mind that these 'cameras' are not photo enforcement cameras of any type.

John

They are not RLC camera. Too high from the ground

It's hard to tell from the picture if these are even cameras at all. They look like sensors that are used to control the lights when emergency vehicles approach. If the are cameras, they would most likely be used to detect when a car moves into a left turn lane, so the arrow can be turned on or the light can otherwise be changed. In some places, they have sensors in the pavement for this, but in other places they use cameras In any case, I do not think they are red light cameras.

The smaller black devices seen to the side of the cameras are the strobe sensors used to open a green light to approaching emergency vehicles.

While the design of the camera is different, their position strongly suggest traffic control and not enforcement.

I suppose the thing that threw me is that there isn't anything like those things anywhere else in the area that I've seen, but the county received a big grant to install RLCs and has been putting them everywhere. More to the point, as I'd said just above, this is a really puzzling intersection for traffic control devices. Take the same road maybe a half-mile north, to where it intersections with a major highway, and you have regular backups--but no traffic control devices.

So we have one intersection that's close to a elementary school but with relatively little traffic and there are traffic control devices but no RLCs, and a nearby busy intersection with traffic problems (big road and multiple nearby shopping centers) and no traffic control devices. Weird.

I think they are monitoring cameras as well. The enforcement have lights that allow pictures to be taken at night. They need flash for night pics. They will cause you to take notice though !!!!!

I suspect that they are the photo sensors that detect the strobe lights on fire trucks. These strobes change the lights to green for fire trucks.

You are correct - that is exactly what they are. Red light cameras are invariably mounted on sidewalk areas approximately 75 feet from the intersection and also have a strobe flash mounted above them for night-time use. They are all mounted on separate poles that look like street light poles.

I can confirm what others have said. They are nothing to do with red light cameras at all. They are Opticom receivers that change the lights to green when they sense the flashing ligths from emergency vehicles.

It's called traffic light pre-emption.

These do not appear to be red light cameras. An interesting thing about the sensors, I knew someone who would ride down Union Avenue in Memphis on Friday nights with a bright flash light and get all greens!!! You could do the same thing and take a bright light, shine it on the sensors, and see if you get a green light.

That's what I thought.

Nuvi1300WTGPS

While some, mostly older, systems do detect the strobe itself, most newer ones don't detect the "flash" of emergency vehicle lights. Strobe based systems were subject to too many false triggers, even flashing of high beams. Modern systems use an IR data signal. There is a special high power IR transmitter that is in the vehicle and they detect a special coded signal sent from the device. There are articles on the Internet that discuss how to make your own and it has been done, allowing people to change the lights as they drive down the street, without any visible flashing lights on the car. This, of course, is highly illegal when done by a civilian.

That picture shows traffic monitoring cameras not RLCs. In short, I agree with all those above who said the pic did not contain RLCs.

Whatever they are:GET RID OF THEM-It is to confusing and probably a waste of tax dollars!!!!

Traffic Monitor cameras are our friend...they can actually let the light stay green longer one way, if the traffic warrants it.

I agree. How often have you sat at unmonitored/sensored lights waiting for a green with absolutely no cross traffic on the road that does have the green? These aren't a "waste of tax dollars", they're what tax dollars should be used for.

Although, based on another post above, I do wonder how long it will be before "IR traffic light changers" are available on eBay!

Again, though, this is what threw me: this isn't a particularly heavily trafficked intersection in either directions, though the E/W route is more so than N/S. But there's enough regular traffic in both directions that you don't ever sit at this light when there's no cross traffic (not counting the middle of the night, that is).

On the other hand, there's an elementary school just about 1/3 mile north of the intersection, and kids cross here. A RLC would make sense; traffic control cameras wouldn't.

There are not Red light cameras...Not sure what they are but they are not Red light cameras.

"Keep in Mind ...

Traffic cameras are usually placed high and pointed so they can see a long row of cars lined up behind a traffic signal or freeway ramp.

Red light cameras photograph vehicles inside the intersection." From http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6698

I would make a friend with a cop ask innocently what are those Just to make sure.

Looks like one of the below, the picture wasn't zoomed in enough to get a real good look at the type.
The below are used for collision avoidance for emergency vehicles. Your picture is not a red light Camera.

Collision Control Communications
Opticom
MIRT
Stealth MVP
Priority Green
Tomar StrobeCom II

read more here:
http://www.tcmfd.com/stuff/opticom.html

Were you referring to the drawing with the fire engine? That's definitely not the same thing that I'd posted. The Opticom is this:
http://forums.radioreference.com/oklahoma-radio-discussion-f...

You can see them *next to* the things I was asking about, but I don't know that they're even related--the Opticoms are set up at the majority of the intersections in the area, but these thingies (I'll try to get better pictures) are at very few.

Those are Traffic Control Cameras (usually mounted on the traffic signal pole. They monitor traffic flow by the local transportation department who can then adjust the timing at intersections to control and avoid traffic tie-ups.

That's the thing I can't wrap my mind around: that intersection has never *had* a traffic tie up. At that intersection, there's a two-lane road northbound turning into an undivided road southbound (into a residential area that has no through traffic), and a modestly trafficked four-lane+turning lane east-west. Traffic simply doesn't back up there (meaning before the cameras were added, which was recently).

But just go straight north from there a mere 3/4 mile and you have an intersection at a MAJOR east/west road with several malls and shopping centers within 1/4 mile on either side that is *regularly* backed up--but no cameras!

get a better pictures! sure you will get the answer you need. if you already didn't.
for sure not redlight camera! Much to high.

What you see in the photo are cameras that control the lights at the intersection. They are not red light cameras.

ohwogo nuve 750

OK, brought the DSLR tis time and got a much better shot:
http://web.me.com/Scott_R/camera_thingies.JPG

Just to underscore: not trying to argue about what these are, but I'm just flummoxed by the idea that they're there to monitor traffic--it's just one of the silliest places to put traffic monitoring cameras. RLCs make sense (there's an elementary school less than a half mile away and kids cross here); traffic control, not so much I don't ever recall seeing a tie up here). That they're *not* RLCs doesn't seem to be in dispute, but I'd like to talk to someone in local gov't to ask what they were thinking when these were installed.