Loophole in red-light cam ordinance protects turners

At Houstonist, we're always on the lookout for ways to stick it to the man — and today, we're happy to bring you one: Run a red light at a camera-controlled intersection by turning right or left. Even though it's an illegal turn, you won't get ticketed thanks to a loophole in the law governing Houston's new red-light camera system. Man, consider yourself stuck.

The Chronicle reports today that, of more than 1,000 red-light violations caught on camera in the first two weeks of the system's operation, a third were thrown out because the driver was making a right or left turn while running the light. The loophole is contained in the language of the ordinance concerning the cameras, which City Council approved a couple of years ago:

"The owner of a motor vehicle is liable for a civil penalty of $75 if the motor vehicle proceeds into a system location without turning when the traffic control signal for that motor vehicle's direction of travel is emitting a steady red signal."

Without turning, of course, is the operative phrase here. City Attorney Arturo Michel said the language was included to protect cars that entered intersections legally but got caught there when the light turned red, and it also covers people who technically "run a red light" by making legal right or left turns on red after coming to a full stop (though we learned earlier this month that HPD is being pretty lenient about coming to a stop before making a turn on red). But if we're not mistaken, the ordinance also says: If you come to a red light and run it by making a left turn, no problem. Even if you're not turning from a one-way street onto a one-way street, the only situation where you can legally make a left turn on red.

A spokesman for Mayor Bill White told the Chron that amending the ordinance may be an option, and officials said they would take another look at the statistics before pressing for a change. (For the record, Houstonist is not encouraging you to go make wanton turns — when you're sticking it to the man, always be sure to look out for your own safety.)