September 20, 2005 - A contract between the City of Knoxville and Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. to provide automated red light enforcement system is scheduled to be considered by City Council on October 4.

The contract was negotiated by the administration after an evaluation committee recommended Redflex over five other firms who responded to the City's request for proposals.

Members of the evaluation committee were Don Green, Knoxville Police Department; Ernie Pierce, Traffic Engineering; Marilyn Roddy, City Council; and Jim York, Finance Department.

One of the largest causes of serious injury traffic collisions in the City of Knoxville is related to red light running. In addition to instituting significant engineering measures and additional enforcement, the City believes that automated enforcement is an effective supplement to existing City resources and these systems have proven to reduce red light violations in other cities. The ultimate goal of this program is to reduce the number of collisions and injuries at signalized intersections.

The City issued a request for proposals in April for a turnkey digital-only red light photo enforcement program to cover up to 15 intersections.

Other firms that submitted proposals were ATS (American Traffic Solutions, Inc.); Lasercraft, Inc.; Nestor Traffic Systems; Peek Traffic Corp.; and Transol USA, Inc. Those proposals are available for review by contacting the City's Purchasing Department at 865-215-2070.