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NYC gets green light to quadruple number of red-light cameras
By
Jon Campbell
Published Oct 23, 2024
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By
Jon Campbell
Published Oct 23, 2024
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New York City will soon be able to quadruple the number of cameras that automatically ticket drivers who blow through red lights.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Wednesday that will let the city install the red-light cameras at up to 600 intersections, up from the current 150. It was a priority for Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, whose transportation commissioner traveled to the state Capitol earlier this year to push for an expansion of the program.
Hochul signed a package of bills to establish or expand the camera program across the state, including in Nassau County, Mount Vernon and White Plains, as well as other places in New York City's suburbs. The governor pointed to city data showing that violations at intersections equipped with red-light cameras fell 73% since the cameras were first installed 30 years ago.
“I don’t know what more you need than that data point,” she said. “When there’s a camera, drivers know about it. They’re less likely to drive through … a red light, and that means they’re less likely to kill someone on the street.”
New York City’s cameras issue violations with a fine of $50, but the tickets from the cameras do not come with points on a driver’s license. The technology brought in about $20 million in net revenue to the city last year after various costs and expenses, according to city data.
Each locality needs to seek a change in state law in order to install the cameras. New York City first got that permission in the late 1980s before putting the program into place in 1994, and has gone back to state lawmakers every few years to extend the law’s expiration date.
As it stands, the city has 222 cameras installed at 150 intersections. Adams’ administration had been pushing to expand the program to 10% of the city’s 13,250 intersections. Instead, state lawmakers stipulated 600 when they passed the bill in June, but Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, a Bronx Democrat, suggested there could be further changes in the future.
“I think we should increase that number by even more at some point,” said Dinowitz, who sponsored the legislation along with Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a Democrat from Brooklyn.
New York City’s red-light camera program had been set to expire on Dec. 1 under state law. The new bill signed by Hochul extends that deadline to Dec. 1, 2027. The city will be allowed to add the new cameras starting this December.
New Rochelle, Greenburgh, Kingston and Albany are among the other localities that will expand their red-light camera programs, according to Hochul’s office.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Kathy Hochul
Politics
transportation
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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