A delay for red-light cameras?

The city's plan to install red-light cameras at intersections around town was temporarily derailed today when a City Council committee recommended the contractor selection process be redone. Members of the Public Safety Committee said the selection process, which took place earlier this year, was flawed after they heard complaints from the companies that weren't selected for the project.

Houstonist talked earlier this week about one company, Nestor Traffic Systems, which planned to complain about the selection process, claiming it could do a better job than American Traffic Solutions, which HPD picked for the system. One thing that caught our eye — and yours — was that Nestor's system includes a feature that stops cross traffic when it senses someone's about to run a red light. In other words, the system works to help prevent side impacts. But an HPD official said the city wasn't too interested in that feature because it would screw with the synchronized traffic lights. Granted, we don't know the ins and outs of traffic planning, but it seems to us anything that can be done to help prevent accidents is worth more than synchronized lights.

It's not clear exactly what the council committee found wrong with the original selection process. The decision on whether HPD has to redo the selection will be Mayor Bill White's; he said he will study the committee's recommendation. (Need a refresher on the whole red-light camera thing? Here's an explanation of the way the cameras work, from HowStuffWorks.)