SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — On Wednesday, the city of San Jose finished installing its first set of red light cameras at four busy intersections that have a history of red light running and crashes.
The city says safety cameras can save lives. The intersection off South Bascom and Camden Avenue is one of four in the city that have newly installed red light cameras.
Anthony Greco lives right off the intersection.
“I’m hoping it slows people down and people think a little bit, because they’re running these lights, and I’ve seen several accidents here. Several,” Greco said.
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He’s all for the cameras to make the area safer.
“It’s a zoo. There’s speeding. There’s 2 o’clock in the morning burnout and donuts, and it’s crazy,” Greco said.
Colin Heyne with the Department of Transportation says red light cameras have been legal in California since the late 1990s. San Jose has been working on a plan for them since 2022.
“The cameras will take a few different still photos of your vehicle, including your license plate, and a short video that will be used basically as evidence for the violation,” Heyne said.
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Heyne said the images will go to the police department, where a person will review them before a ticket is issued to the registered vehicle owner.
“These are basically an extension of law enforcement. And we’ve chosen locations where we know there is a history of red light running that has caused crashes and particularly severe injury and fatal crashes,” Heyne said.
How much is the ticket? The city says a fine for running a red light could cost you $486. If you make a right turn rolling stop, the fine is $234, plus a point on your driver’s license.
Michael Powers lives off the intersection of Leigh and Parkmoor Avenues, another problematic intersection where red light cameras have been installed.
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“I think it’s great, because, you know, this stuff just continues to go unmonitored,” Powers said. “You know, these things just continue to happen.”
Powers hopes the cameras could help make the neighborhood safer and make drivers feel safer as well.
The city says red light running is the second-highest contributing factor to traffic deaths and severe injuries in San Jose. On Wednesday, Mayor Matt Mahan and other city leaders held a press conference.
“Last year, like most years, we had more traffic deaths than homicides,” Mahan said.
Cameras will turn on Oct. 13th. For the first 60 days, there will be a warning period, where tickets will be billed as $0. The city says it doesn’t want the cameras to be a surprise to anyone.
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