Red light cameras could be coming back to Phoenix after doing away with them in 2019

PHOENIX - Red light cameras could be coming back to Phoenix.

The city council says its aiming to bring the automated enforcement program back by next year, although the council knows that on paper, this is not a popular idea.

But, they say more people are running red lights and killing drivers and pedestrians. Others argue cameras are not the answer.

The answer, some say, is more police officers.

For nearly two decades, 12 intersections in Phoenix had red light cameras, but the council did away with them in 2019.

Fast-forward five years, and the city wants them back.

"This is not a revenue generator, but a tool to provide our city with safer streets," a council member said.

The city says last year, numbers spiked. Twenty people were killed after drivers ran red lights and 810 were injured.

Residents, too, are complaining about speeding drivers and dangerous conditions.

While red light cameras may force drivers to follow the rules at particular intersections, council member Laura Pastor says, "It doesn’t change the pattern of behavior. Once I’m past that camera, I can speed up. The real issue in Phoenix, they argue, is that no one is watching."

Then, the issue of fewer officers on the road came up.

"They’re not hiring enough officers to do the traffic jobs out there. So they’re compensating by putting up red light cameras," a concerned driver said. "I don’t think that’s a good thing for the city."

The Phoenix Police Department is down 600 officers and a traffic enforcement squad of more than 100 officers has now dwindled down to 30.

"We might as well have AI be police officers at this point if they want cameras catching me do illegal things," a driver said.

Those arguments fell on deaf ears though, as council voted 7-1 to get the process started.

The plan is to install red light cameras at 10 of the city’s most dangerous intersections. Three mobile units will comb the city along with three mobile towers that can be rotated throughout school zones.

"Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and Mesa all have them. Interestingly enough, they don’t have any intersections in the top 50 in the most dangerous in the MAG report," said Council member Ann O’Brien.

The city promises the program is cost neutral and any money generated will be reinvested into traffic safety programs.

The expectation is the red light cameras will be up no later than next fall.

"We want to start saving lives as soon as we can," said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

There are still a few votes to go before the lights are up. If that happens, the city will give drivers a 30-day grace period, which means no tickets will be issued for the first month.

The city will eat the cost of operating the lights for that month, which is $10,000 per light at 10 intersections.

These cameras do not come cheap, but once people start getting tickets, the program pays for itself.