NYC to quadruple number of red-light cameras by 2027
Drivers who blow through red lights beware: the number of cameras at New York City intersections will soon quadruple. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed a bill expanding red-light camera programs across the state, allowing the city to install cameras at 600 intersections by 2027, up from the current 150. Since their introduction 30 years ago, red-light cameras have reduced traffic violations at intersections by 73 percent, according to Hochul.
In 2023, NYC saw 29 deaths connected to drivers who ran red lights, more than double the yearly average of the previous decade, as reported by AMNY.
“The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority and we know that red light camera programs are effective in protecting New Yorkers from dangerous drivers,” Hochul said.
“Today I am extending the authorization of programs across New York and establishing an additional program to maintain our progress on traffic safety, while creating new protections for school-aged children on the road.”
Currently, there are 222 red-light cameras installed at 150 intersections across the five boroughs. The Adams administration has been advocating to expand the program to at least 10 percent of the city’s 13,250 intersections, as reported by Gothamist.
However, state legislators agreed on 600 when they passed the law in June, but according to Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz of the Bronx, this number can be revisited in the future.
Last year, the red-light cameras generated roughly $20 million in net revenue for the city after related expenses, according to city data.
To install red-light cameras, localities must obtain a change in state law. The city first secured permission in the late 1980s and established the program in 1994 under Mayor David Dinkins. Since then, state lawmakers have extended it every few years.
The city’s red-light camera program was set to expire on December 1, but the new legislation extends it until December 1, 2027. The city will begin installing additional cameras starting this December. It’s unclear which intersections will receive new cameras.
The legislation also extends the program in White Plains, Albany, Nassau County, Mount Vernon, and New Rochelle, and establishes a completely new program in Greenburgh.
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