City officials favor more red-light cameras

More traffic cameras should be installed to catch red-light runners, Seattle City Council members proposed Friday.

Councilmembers Nick Licata, Tom Rasmussen and David Della are pushing to add 24 cameras, which take photos of cars that cross an intersection after the traffic light has turned red.

"It's already shown to be very promising in issuing red-light violations and reducing accidents," said Rasmussen, who added, "It's scary to think how many violations" the cameras caught.

In an 11-month pilot program, 13,966 tickets were issued based on photos captured by six red-light cameras at four intersections. The tickets generated $901,000 in revenue for the city, and the program cost $320,000.

A July draft report from Mayor Greg Nickels' office said violations dropped by a third at intersections where cameras are installed: Denny Way and Fairview Avenue North; Rainier Avenue South and South Orcas Street; Fifth Avenue and Spring Street; and Roosevelt Way and Northeast 45th Street. The number of crashes at the intersections did not change, but the collisions were less severe.

Photos are taken of the rear of a vehicle and include the license plate and the traffic-signal color. Those photos are sent to a data center in Arizona where images are checked against Seattle Police Department criteria. After Seattle police review the photos, they mail a $101 traffic citation to the vehicle's registered owner.

The three council members said Friday they wanted to send a signal to the mayor, who is preparing a city budget that he will present Sept. 17.

"The mayor is supportive of adding cameras," said Marianne Bichsel, the mayor's spokesperson. "What the number is going to be is part of budget deliberations."

The intersections in the pilot were chosen based on frequency of collisions.

Licata said he would like new cameras to be installed at intersections based on where pedestrian accidents happen, where the city's urban villages are and in school zones. It isn't clear how many intersections would be served if the city bought 24 more cameras.

"The city needs to do a better job of matching intersections with accidents with red-light cameras," he said.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958

or schan@seattletimes.com