In threatening to put New Yorkers in the path of more red light runners, State Assemblymembers Joseph Lentol and Sheldon Silver have gone way too far in their bid to reopen firehouses, says Transportation Alternatives, New York’s advocates for street safety, and Brooklyn Community Board 1; the board, located within Lentol’s district recently passed a resolution in favor of reauthorizing the use of 100 red light cameras.

Red light cameras, which the City already uses, have been shown to reduce life-threatening crashes by 40%, and reduce serious pedestrian injuries by 19%. But both Silver and Lentol are threatening to end New York City’s successful red light camera program unless six firehouses are reopened. Says Paul S. White, Transportation Alternatives’ Executive Director:

“Regardless of your position on the firehouses, it’s just plain wrong to exploit traffic safety measures as a bargaining chit. What are Lentol’s next bargaining hostages—crosswalk signals and breathalyzers?”

It’s about the Safety, not the Money

In 1992, an 18 month-old Manhattan girl crossing the street was dragged 13 blocks by a red light runner. This incident helped spark New York City’s Red Light Camera program, which has resulted in more than 1.4 million summonses for red light running over its 10 year lifespan. While these summonses have generated some revenue for the city (according to the City Department of Transportation, an average of $2.2 million per year), “The cams are all about making streets safer for all New Yorkers, particularly kids and seniors who are disproportionately mowed down by red light runners,” added White.

In addition to reducing crashes at particular intersections, numerous studies have shown that more red light summons equal more overall traffic safety on all streets.¹ During the 10 year period that the City has used its 50 red light cameras and 200 dummy cameras (many at New York City’s most dangerous intersections), pedestrian fatalities throughout New York City have dropped by half.

In 2001, the New York City Comptroller found that New York City drivers run more than one million red lights every day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of traffic signal crashes is rising faster than any other type of fatal crash, and nationwide contribute to 921 deaths and 178,000 injuries. Red light cameras in New York and elsewhere have led to significant decreases in red light running, crashes, and injuries.

1 Traffic-law enforcement and risk of death from motor-vehicle crashes: case-crossover study. Redelmeier DA, Tibshirani RJ, Evans L Lancet 2003 Jun 28, 361: 2177-82