Epic fail for Auckland’s red-light cameras

Red-light cameras installed at dangerous intersections across Auckland have not worked or issued a ticket in years.

New Zealand, in fact, has only three working fixed red-light cameras – one in Wellington and two in Auckland, all operated by police. Those cameras issued 2300 tickets last year.

Red-light running in Auckland had become widespread and entrenched, AA spokesman Barney Irvine said.

Last year, five people in Auckland died in crashes involving running red lights, compared with four deaths in the previous five years. Auckland’s red-light crash figures climbed to 477 last year, compared with 387 reported crashes in 2012.

Nationally, nine people died in red-light crashes last year compared with eight for the previous five years.

Wellington has had no deaths related to red-light running in the past six years.

Council-owned body Auckland Transport’s efforts to stall the ‘‘epidemic’’ saw red-light cameras installed at 11 intersections in 2014 and 2017, at a cost of

$1.2 million, but not one of those cameras has ever issued a ticket.

‘‘These sites were developed by Auckland Transport, however, enforcement did not eventuate,’’ said national road policing manager Superintendent Steve Greally.

The police website listed the Auckland Transport cameras as operational but following questions, police updated the website to remove all reference to Auckland Transport’s cameras.

reporters recently counted more than 250 drivers, including buses, trucks and vans, running completely red lights in

90 minutes at four notorious intersections in Auckland. About 130 of the red-light runners were at intersections that had Auckland Transport red-light cameras.

Auckland Transport installed its first 10 red-light camera set-ups in 2008, with five cameras rotating between them. Some of these installations issued a handful of tickets and some none at all.

A further five red-light camera poles were installed in 2014 at a cost of $100,000 each, but have never resulted in a ticket. AT said the cameras became outdated. AT is is planning to install six red-light cameras a year for the next decade.

Cameras installed last year have newer technology and have been in calibration mode since January and are expected to move into enforcement mode within weeks. While calibration is complex and can take time, it was now time for AT to move on this, the AA’s Irvine said.

‘‘That we are caught between an old outdated system and calibration is not acceptable,’’ he said.