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A bill introduced in the Virginia General Assembly seeks to make it easier for cities to install red light cameras at troublesome intersections. Critics contend that red light cameras are installed more as a revenue generator than a safety measure. Some cities have also been accused of short-timing yellow lights to increase the number of red light tickets, thereby increasing their profit.
The bill before the General Assembly would remove the three words “for final approval” from the Virginia Code Section 15.2-968.1(J) which currently reads, “A locality shall submit a list of intersections to the Virginia Department of Transportation for final approval.” Without those three words, cities will not have to seek approval for their new red light cameras, which at this time involves a detailed engineering justification.
Several cities have had their proposals for red light cameras refused by VDOT, but if this bill passes then VDOT will no longer have the power to prevent unsafe red light projects from going forward.
Red light cameras are controversial, as they have been shown in several studies to increase the number of accidents at intersections. In addition, some cities reduced the length of the yellow light at intersections, ostensibly to increase the number of red light runners and thereby produce a greater profit from camera tickets.
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