Cameras Don’t Lose or Lie

Drivers have another red light camera to watch out for as they make their way around the UCSD/Torrey Pines area. The latest one has been installed at the intersection of North Torrey Pines Road and Genesee Avenue. There is a camera on top of the light on the east side of the intersection and two more on each side behind traffic entering the intersection from North Torrey Pines Road.

The city of San Diego’s website calls the cameras a “red-light photo safety system” and still shows the location as pending. A few sawhorses that were located at the base of the cameras have been removed, so it’s unknown to this reporter if the system has been activated. There is no photo-enforced warning sign visible on the stoplight.

The minimum penalty for being caught by the cameras is around $400. The myth that not having a front license plate makes it impossible to be caught by the camera is dispelled on the city’s website. As someone who’s been nabbed by a camera before, I can also tell you that if the photo of you running the light is inconclusive or you aren’t visible in it, they probably have plenty of better photos on hand at the police department’s Traffic Division on Aero Drive. Yes, I fought the camera and the camera won.