According to reports earlier this week, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is threatening to discontinue the use of red-light cameras at intersections throughout New York City as a lever to win concessions from Mayor Bloomberg on non-related issues.

The cameras take photos of the license plates of vehicles running red lights and result in tickets-by-mail for the offenders. The city requires permission by the state legislature to operate the cameras, and Albany has built a sunset clause into each such authorization.  Their reauthorization is needed again this year.

In a recent Daily News op-ed, John Kaehny of Transportation Alternatives contended that Speaker Silver’s threat to the cameras is an attempt to force the city to reopen several firehouses:  "It’s time for [Silver] to end his cynical game of political chicken with the mayor and renew the city’s authority to use red light cameras," he wrote. 

Kaehny’s piece explained that New York’s pioneering use of the cameras has proven their efficacy and prompted dozens of cities to follow suit. He noted strong support from citizens, elected officials, and AAA members for the program’s expansion.

A follow up editorial in the News also made the case for Silver to reauthorize the program, "Red light cameras save lives. Silver should stop playing with them," it said. The editorial also noted that Mayor Bloomberg was looking to continue the program and even expand it from 50 to 100 cameras.

Originally implemented in 1993, NYC’s red light cameras have been highly effective in curtailing auto and pedestrian crashes.  Of the 50 locations where red-light cameras have been installed, vehicle collisions with pedestrians have decreased by 19 percent and car crashes are down about 40 percent.  With nearly 300,000 tickets issued every year, red-light cameras represent a strong deterrent for reckless motorists.

For more on the benefits of red-light cameras, see Transportation Alternatives’ website:

www.transalt.org/campaigns/reclaiming/redlightcameras.html v