Arlington expands red-light camera program
Nearly a dozen more red-light cameras are coming to six intersections across Arlington, Virginia, this year.
The county said the cameras, which will be installed in phases, are aimed at improving safety.
Ashley Savage, a public information officer with Arlington County Police, described the cameras as “an additional tool for all of us to use, to help make sure our roadways are safer. Overall, we hear from the community that they’re looking for ways in which we can make our roadways safer, and red-light cameras assist in that process.”
This month, the cameras are being put up at:
- EB and WB Columbia Pike at Washington Boulevard
- WB Langston Boulevard at N. Spout Run Parkway and SB N. Spout Run Parkway at Langston Boulevard
- EB and WB 10th Street N. at N. Barton Street
- WB Langston Boulevard at N. Lynn Street
A monthlong warning period kicks off on Aug. 1. Then, those cameras will start giving out tickets on Sept. 1.
If a driver enters the intersection after a light turns red, Savage said the camera will be activated and take a photo and video. The vendor reviews that information and then sends it to a police officer, who verifies that a violation occurred.
A $50 ticket will be sent to the registered owner of the car.
By the end of the year, the county’s planning to install red-light cameras at additional intersections, including:
- WB Wilson Boulevard at N. Lynn Street and NB N. Lynn Street at Wilson Boulevard
- WB Langston Boulevard at EB I-66 Exit 72 Offramp
When considering where to install the cameras, Savage said the county looks at the crash rate at a given intersection, the red-light violation rate, pedestrian safety and “difficulty in conducting traditional enforcement at those intersections.”
“We have seen that red-light cameras assist with lowering critical crashes at locations,” Savage said. “Also, the ultimate goal in these locations is to ultimately seek voluntary compliance with the law.”
Arlington has had a red-light camera program since 2010, and it was expanded in 2015, Savage said. As part of its Vision Zero plan, it’s “looking for additional strategies to help eliminate fatal crashes as well as critical crashes in the county. As part of those discussions, automated enforcement is one of those tools that we’re looking at.”
The cameras are active 24 hours, seven days a week, according to the release.