What is the difference between the small traffic cameras, and red light cameras?

Hey Guys,



What do the small little black cameras do that are usually on top of the poles that traffic lights hang from? I always thought those were for taking pictures of "rule-breakers", but it looks like those are different. You can see the little cameras I am talking about on the middle of the horizontal pole in the background. What are they for?



So those are different from red-light cameras (in the foreground)?What is the difference between the small traffic cameras, and red light cameras?
Sometime what you see at the lights are merely sonar devices that change the lights in accord to the amount of traffic, rather like the motion detector lights you put on the house that come on when someone walks up. Sometimes they are in traffic cameras, not pictures of rule breakers, but traffic cameras. To see them in action, use this link: http://www.trafficland.com/#start



The red light cameras will flash any vehicle that enters the intersection after the yellow light in on.What is the difference between the small traffic cameras, and red light cameras?
Those small traffic cameras are just that. They monitor the traffic at specific area so they can be seen by operators and report to chp and local news on how the traffic flow is going. Those red light cameras has better resolution and only turns on to snap a picture when your car crosses the intersection after the light has turned red.