Red light cameras in Texas are ticketing motorists who had legally entered intersections.

In one of my previous posts, I discussed just what constitutes running a red light in the state of Texas, and where you should stop. Well, there seems to be a new twist on the issue, Thanks to Garland, TX, the first city to install red light cameras. Read on…

The red light camera programs throughout Texas have opened themselves up to a significant new legal challenge. KTVT-TV reports that the Garland, Texas has essentially made up its own definition of red light running to ticket motorists who have not violated the law. Since Garland was one of the first cities to adopt red light cameras, its ordinance served as a model for the rest of the state. Most other cities use Garland’s definition of red light running.

According to Garland’s ordinance, a ticket will be issued “if the vehicle proceeds into an intersection at a system location when the traffic control signal for that vehicle’s direction of travel is emitting a steady red signal.” Garland defines entering the intersection as crossing an imaginary line that runs between the end points of the curb drawn parallel to the crosswalk. At one Garland intersection, the imaginary line would be ten feet beyond the painted stop bar.

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