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Red light cameras are back in Phoenix

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Red light cameras are back in Phoenix

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Red light cameras are back in Phoenix.

The city plans to install them at 10 intersections, as well as deploying eight portable speed cameras by the fall of 2025. Councilors say they are intended to improve road safety and offset a shortage of officers of police

Drivers caught within the first 30 days will receive a warning instead of a ticket, city officials said. The city also plans to investigate waivers for a driver’s first offense within the first year.

The locations have not been decided, but would be based on the state’s car crash data and known speed corridors. City officials said they will assess where the red light is causing the most injuries and fatalities, particularly to pedestrians. They plan to place some of the portable cameras in school zones.

The Phoenix City Council voted 8-1 in support of the cameras, with Councilman Jim Waring opposed.

Vice Mayor Debra Stark acknowledged the cameras are a “difficult” issue, but said she believes most of the community understands it’s necessary to save lives.

“We’ve seen so many red lights run and so many fatalities,” Stark said. “I’m tired of hearing about fatalities that could have been avoided if we slowed down or didn’t run the red light.”

Councilors emphasized the desire to improve public safety and change behavior, not to generate income. Any revenue that comes from the citations must be reinvested in traffic safety programs.

Last year, 20 pedestrians in Phoenix were killed by running red lights and 810 were injured, city staff told the council.

The city previously used red light cameras from 2001 to 2019. A crash analysis comparing red light collisions and injuries or fatalities before and after the cameras were installed showed a reduction in 30%, the staff said.

Councilors directed Phoenix staff to evaluate performance metrics and report back to the council every two years to ensure the program is serving its purpose.

Councilor Laura Pastor supported the cameras, but expressed doubts about whether they would alter driver behavior over the long term or only at equipped intersections. Councilwoman Kesha Hodge Washington suggested monitoring the radius around the intersection to assess whether the cameras improved behavior all around or simply diverted speeders from one street to another.

A number of members of the public spoke at the meeting, most in support, although one man called the program “draconian”.

The city suspended red-light cameras in 2020 because of council members’ concerns about fairness and privacy,

Pastor said Tuesday, “We found out that they were in areas that they shouldn’t have been, and for some of us it became the tip (a problem) of profiling.” It also noted concerns about privacy and whether facial recognition software was used. Staff said no facial recognition software was used.

Stark said the council began discussing the program’s return in 2023 after an increase in pedestrian injuries and deaths.

Where Phoenix’s red light cameras were previously located

Phoenix staff have not yet decided where the red light cameras will go. They were previously located:

  • Bell Road at 7th Street (Eastbound)
  • Cactus Road at 35th Avenue (eastbound)
  • Camelback Road at 12th Street (Eastbound)
  • Central AVenue and McDowell Road (southbound)
  • Glendale Avenue to 35th Avenue (eastbound)
  • Indian School Road at 53rd Avenue (eastbound)
  • Ray Road at 50th Street (Eastbound)
  • Tatum Boulevard to Thunderbird Road (Northbound)
  • 16th Street to Jefferson Street (southbound)
  • 24th Street at Thomas Road (Northbound)
  • 35th Avenue at McDowell Road (southbound)
  • 67th Avenue at McDowell Road (southbound)

How much money does Phoenix make from traffic cameras?

In its last year of existence, Phoenix’s red light camera program generated $1.3 million in citation revenue. But subtracting the costs of city staff time at the police department and municipal court, plus the vendor, the city’s net revenue was $57,000, according to city documents.

Taylor Seely covers Phoenix for The Arizona Republic / azcentral.com. Contact her at [email protected] or by phone at 480-476-6116.

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