More red light cameras are coming to intersections in New York this year

The Department of Transportation will activate 250 new red-light cameras at intersections across the five boroughs over the next six weeks and 600 by the end of the year, the agency announced Friday.

The cameras, which fine reckless drivers who run red lights, are currently installed at just 150 intersections in the city. That’s because state law previously capped the number of red light cameras the city could operate at that number.

But in the fall of 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul arrived signed a law allowing the city to add another 450 red light cameras, bringing the total to 600.

DOT will add 50 new cameras per week over the next six weeks and reach the full 600 by the end of this year, the agency said.

“Red light running is one of the most dangerous behaviors on our city streets and puts all New Yorkers at risk,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement. “That’s why we are taking immediate action to ramp up the city’s red light camera program.”

Although the law was in effect year-round, DOT under former Mayor Eric Adams did not activate any new red light cameras until 2025. A DOT spokesperson said this is because the agency was finalizing a new automated enforcement contract, updating older cameras and installing new ones.

The spokesperson said they could not reveal the locations of the new cameras so as not to undermine the effectiveness of the program.

According to DOT, the city has been using red light cameras to combat dangerous driving for 30 years. The agency says the technology has reduced red light traffic by 73 percent, T-bone crashes by 65 percent and rear-end collisions by 49 percent at intersections where it has been installed.

Drivers caught running red lights by the cameras will be fined $50.

The cameras also help reckless drivers change their behavior, DOT says. In 2023, 94 percent of vehicles captured by the cameras running red lights had no more than one or two violations, and fewer than 0.5 percent of vehicles were affected by five or more violations, according to the agency.

“I passed the bill to expand the red light camera program for one simple reason: we know it works,” said Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn), who sponsored the bill that expanded the number of cameras the city can operate.

“The reality is that most drivers don’t run red lights,” he added. “But those drivers, like all others, are safer when those who do are held accountable. Decades of data make it clear: These cameras reduce crashes and save lives.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally appeared in amNY. Click here to see the original story.

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