CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A hotly debated topic is once again going to find itself on the agenda during Monday’s Charlotte City Council meeting.
We’re talking about red light cameras, and they actually could be making a comeback in the Queen City. After a near-decade of having the cameras from 1998 to 2006, Charlotte scrapped them due to the cost of operation. During Monday night's meeting, the City Council is expected to discuss whether the city should consider bringing them back in an effort to reduce crashes.
Many people agree something has to be done about deadly accidents in Charlotte, as well as red light runners at some of the city’s busiest intersections, not everybody can agree that cameras are the answer.
The numbers paint a scary picture. Deadly car crashes are on the rise in Charlotte, up 30-percent from the year before. And one-in-three drivers openly admitted during a recent study from AAA that they had run a red light in the last 30 days.
So, are red light cameras the solution?
“A lot of people saw this as just kind of a nuisance tax thing,” said Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs.
From 1998 until 2006, Charlotte had speed cameras in addition to red light cameras. According to public records, crashes declined at intersections with the cameras by around 30 percent. But a court decided that 90 percent of the proceeds from the cameras had to be given to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. That amounted to about $5 million, and in addition to that, the City of Charlotte was responsible for paying the camera operator.
Because of the costs, Charlotte ditched the cameras.
“I think we should revisit them,” said Councilman Greg Phipps.
Similar programs in Wilmington and Raleigh use red light cameras, and officials in both cities say it’s working for them. Wilmington leaders said they’ve seen a double-digit decline in crashes, and Raleigh officials said citations for running red lights with cameras has resulted in $1 million for the school district.
“If the answers are that it makes everything more safe by being in place, and here’s a way to fund it that does not impact the taxpayers in a negative way, then I’m all for it,” said Councilman Tariq Bokhari.