New Haven plans red-light cameras
The message in a Connecticut city is clear: A red light means to stop.
And New Haven could become the first city to install cameras to catch those who drive through red lights, according to a proposal Mayor Justin Elicker announced Monday.
Elicker made the announcement at a busy intersection, one block from where three people died after being hit by people driving through red lights in recent years.
A driver sped through a red light behind him as he spoke.
“This intersection is one of the most dangerous in our city. We’ve had 13 crashes just in 2023,” Elicker said of South Frontage Road and Park Street, where he held his press briefing.
That intersection, like the 10 others where the cameras will be installed, has had at least two crashes in the last three years caused by drivers going through red lights. That is the minimum criterion to install a camera, according to Sandeep Aysola, director of the city Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking.
“My message to people out there is, if you run a red light, if you speed, you will get caught,” Elicker said. “We will do everything possible to ensure that our streets are safe for everyone, whether you’re a driver, a cyclist or pedestrian, because over the years we’ve lost far too many people to dangerous driving.”
He said there were 21 fatalities in 2020, 19 in 2021, 16 in 2022, 11 in 2023 and two so far in 2024. “And while those numbers are going down, no fatality is acceptable,” Elicker said.
In addition to 11 red light cameras planned to be installed throughout the city, including in residential neighborhoods and at a highway off-ramp, there will be eight speed safety cameras near schools, which kick in if a driver goes more than 10 mph over the speed limit.
The General Assembly authorized red light cameras in 2023.
Elicker planned to submit his proposal to the Board of Alders on Monday. Next, a public hearing would be held about the locations of the cameras and then the state would have to give final approval.
The cameras operate by taking a photo of the license plate when a car goes through a red light. A ticket is then sent to the car’s owner, not to the driver. Appeals can be made if, for example, a person’s car has been stolen.
A warning will be sent during the first 30 days the cameras are installed for a first offense. After that, the first offense will carry a $50 fine and each subsequent offense will bring a $75 fine.
“So it is different than if a police officer were to pull you over and give the driver of the vehicle a speeding ticket,” Elicker said. “These devices have shown in other cities a real improvement to speeding and dangerous driving.”
Police Chief Karl Jacobson said motor vehicle deaths have gone down in recent years, partly because of an increase in police stops.
“We doubled our traffic unit,” he said. “But we can’t be everywhere. This is going to allow us to put these cameras in place, have people ticketed. But we’ll also be at other intersections to still do speed enforcement, traffic enforcement and really be able to cover more area. So I applaud this effort. I’m excited about it.”
Lior Trestman of the New Haven Safe Streets Coalition said one advantage of the cameras is “you don’t run the risk of any bias or escalation that exists when there’s a human being giving the tickets.”
“This has been tried in many cities around the world and country,” he said. “New York City has thousands of cameras that they started over two decades ago. And another part of this project is that the state requires that the implementation is reviewed and improved continuously, so every location will be analyzed and assessed to make sure that it’s been effective and achieving its goal.”