NOVEMBER 3 - 9, 2009
City begins new program to stop red-light running BY MARIA ROSA HIGGINS FALLON
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he City of Coral Gables announced the start of a new traffic safety program to prevent dangerous red-light running. On Oct. 22, the city’s red-light safety cameras began taking photos of red-light runners at Alhambra Circle and S. Lejeune Road (SW 42nd Avenue). Photo-enforcement cameras will capture still images and video of red-light running violations. During a 30-day warning period, a warning notice will be issued to the vehicle’s registered owner. “The warning period will give motorists an opportunity to become familiar with the red-light system,” said Coral Gables interim Police Chief Richard Naue. “We encourage people to slow down and definitely stop on red before the actual citations begin. This is a public safety program, and our goal is to deter red-light runners and prevent collisions resulting from these violations.” There will be no fine for the warning notice. At the completion of the warning period, citations will be issued. The program aims to protect drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians from injuries or crashes caused by red-light runners. Cameras will operate 24 hours a day and capture images of every vehicle running a red light at the intersection. The program is administered by American Traffic Solutions Inc. (ATS) with each violation reviewed and approved by the Coral Gables Police Department prior to a citation being issued. ATS is the largest provider of photo-enforcement programs in the state, contracting with 34 Florida cities and counties. For more information about Coral Gables’ red-light safety program, contact the Police Department Community Affairs Unit at 305-460-5402.
Paddlers race to the bay on the Gables Waterway
Gables Great Betsy Adams driving force behind many city projects BY GLORIA BURNS
Pictured are participants in a paddleboard race along the Coral Gables Waterway during the Gables to the Bay Regatta on Saturday, Oct. 17. It was a fundraiser for the Renaissance Waterway group to fix the bridges in Coral Gables.
UM Homecoming fea tures parade, concert and game BY SAHYLI HARTNEY
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lmost 3,000 alumni from around the country will travel back to South Florida to join current students, faculty and community members to celebrate the University of Miami’s Homecoming 2009 festivities. Returning alumni will have a chance to go back into the classroom with
leading UM faculty members for the Audrey Finkelstein UM Experience, an interactive education program that lets alumni share the experience of current students. They also will have the opportunity to reconnect with former classmates at the reunion parties on Alumni
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Betsy Adams, a member of the Coral Gables Garden Club for 50 years, has been described as a driving force behind the Coral Gables Garden Club entrance and statue projects for the past 20 years. She humbly credits her associates with the success of those major projects, but they send it right back to her. Drive down Lejeune Road to Coral Gables City Hall to see the statue of George Merrick or to any of the many city entrances and you BETSY ADAMS will see her mark. It was under her leadership that the Coral Gables Garden Club raised funds, gathered in-kind donations and constructed these sites. Just when you think she will never tackle another project, she is hard at work on the next. In fact, the Coral Gables Garden Club recently approved her next challenge that comes with a price tag of around $40,000. With George Merrick’s statue completed, it
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ADAMS on page 6