Red-light cameras return

Boynton Beach, Pembroke Pines back in business

As some South Florida cities resume controversial red-light camera programs, one community says it’s seeing more redlight running than before.

Red-light cameras caught about 3,000 violators in the weeks after Boynton Beach reactivated the devices, dwarfing the number of those busted during the same period last year, police say.

After years of red-light cameras waning across South Florida, Boynton Beach and Pembroke Pines restarted their programs recently. They’re now among 20 other cities in the tricounty area still operating the devices.

Boynton, the only city in Palm Beach County with the program, resumed its contract with American Traffic Solutions in September.

More than 1,000 drivers were warned for running red lights at seven intersections during a warning period between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14, said Boynton Beach Police Sgt. Phillip Hawkins. And since the city began fining redlight runners Sept. 15, nearly 2,000 drivers have been fined.

Overall, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 7, the city saw a 77 percent increase in red-light runners from the same time period in 2016, according to the Boynton Beach Police Department.

Boynton received about $12,000 in revenue from the fines in October alone, though not all of that money came from people fined in the month of October.

Some of the $12,000 likely came from fines issued in September, or even from last year, as drivers still fight tickets in court, said Assistant City Manager Tim Howard.

The fine for running a red

light is $158.

The crossing with the most redlight runners is South Federal Highway at Southeast 23rd Street, with more than one-fourth of the city’s 3,073 total violations, Hawkins said.

There were more than 600 instances of red-light running at Woolbright Road and Congress Avenue, or about 20 percent of violations logged at the city’s seven intersections with cameras.

Pembroke Pines also recently resumed its red-light camera program with a new company, Redflex Traffic Systems.

The city has been gradually activating cameras, with an initial plan to have eight crossings equipped with the devices. That means drivers can be fined for running red lights at three crossings so far, and at four other crossings, there’s an initial fine-free warning period. An eighth crossing still needs to be fully set up with the cameras.

Nearly 1,000 drivers have been fined since the city reintroduced the cameras in July, and 134 of those fines have been paid, she said. That results in $21,172 in revenue for the city.

Critics say the cameras are just another way for cities to make money, but fans say they help save lives.

Pembroke Pines Commissioner Angelo Castillo has been a longtime proponent of the program. The alternative would be stationing an officer at each crossing, he said.

Castillo said he has seen the driving behavior improve citywide, likely because drivers know the city has the cameras. “It’s about improving driving behavior,” he said.

“Most people don’t like it, but understand it’s a necessary thing, not just for their safety but for others as well.”

JIM RASSOL/STAFF FILE PHOTO After a warning period, Boynton Beach started fining red-light runners on Sept. 15. Since then, nearly 2,000 drivers have been fined.