Red light camera pilot program advances to Council for discussion
A proposed pilot project to install red light cameras at 10 locations with a history of fatal crashes across Charlotte will soon be discussed by the full City Council. At their May 11 meeting, the Safety Committee voted unanimously to bring this issue to Council for discussion and a possible vote. Watch the meeting here (begins at 55:22).
This conversation happened after an initial presentation from CDOT at the April 6 Safety Committee meeting (read about that here). We’re encouraged that the committee members are taking this issue so seriously.
CDOT Director Debbie Smith shared that approximately 350 communities in the U.S. currently operate red light camera programs. The most successful ones have several things in common. They:
- Align with Vision Zero goals using a data-driven approach
- Prioritize High Injury Network intersections
- Use crash type, frequency, and severity to guide deployment
- Maintain data transparency and report frequently
10 proposed locations for the pilot
CDOT identified 39 intersections across the city with a history of fatal collisions. They then refined that list to 10 intersections based on the frequency of the angle and left turn collisions that are caused by running red lights, history of collisions with people walking and biking, and a higher number of overall collisions. The map below shows the 10 proposed locations for the pilot:
The sites are:
- Graham Street at Norris Avenue
- University City Boulevard at I-85 ramp
- Steele Creek Road at Westinghouse Boulevard
- North Tryon Street at University City Boulevard
- Central Avenue at Sharon Amity Road
- W.T. Harris Boulevard at North Tryon Street
- South Tryon Street at Arrowood Road
- South Boulevard at West Boulevard
- Central Avenue at Kilborne Drive
- 36th Street at The Plaza
The pilot would be operated with the City paying all upfront costs, returning 90% of citation revenues to CMS, and keeping 10%. That is the only model currently allowed under state law. The 1-year pilot is estimated to cost $600,000. After collecting citations and reconciling invoicing with CMS, the total estimated program expense for the city is $125,000 — less than a quarter of the total cost. Funding for the pilot is already available through the city’s Vision Zero program.
The most financially sustainable long-term model is to work with the state legislature to allow the City to recover the full cost of the program and its operations.
State law allows for citations up to $75. Citations would be a civil citation and would be treated in a similar manner as a parking ticket. Receiving a citation would not result in points added to a driver’s license and would not be reported to insurance companies.
Our take
Sustain Charlotte is encouraged to see that Safety Committee members acted swiftly on the policy referral to review red light camera options and are advancing CDOT’s proposed pilot project for full Council consideration.
The 10-location pilot project is an essential start, and we urge Council to adopt it without delay. We appreciate CDOT’s thoughtful data-driven approach to choosing locations for the pilot that have seen the most severe and fatal crashes, and which are likely to result in the most lives saved.
But we can’t stop with a pilot, nor delay pursuing a full program! Neighborhoods throughout Charlotte remain dangerous as drivers disregard traffic signals.
(photo credit: NJ Safe Routes)
Every day that passes without this valuable enforcement tool is another day that lives of our residents are endangered by reckless and rampant running of red lights. People in cars, walking, and biking deserve safe intersections throughout the city, so we urge CDOT and City Council to work together to launch a citywide red light camera program as data is being collected from the pilot, not to wait until the year is complete.
Thank you to the hundreds of you who contacted City Council in January in response to our action alert. Your voice is making a difference in saving lives!