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Red light cameras are here

In a bid to reduce the number of crashes caused by vehicles running red lights, Auckland City Council and New Zealand Police have introduced red light cameras throughout Auckland's CBD.

The red light cameras will be operating in the city from 15 May 2008. The police will issue offending motorists with a $150 ticket.

Red-light running is a serious concern due to the high number of crashes it causes. Between 2002 and 2007, 689 red-light crashes were recorded across the city, including 220 in the CBD.

In March last year, Auckland City Council ran an 0800 Stop 4 Red campaign to dissuade red-light running. It received strong support from the public who reported more than 2600 instances of this unsafe practice over the four-week campaign.

The public support received from the 0800 Stop 4 Red awareness campaign is consistent with the result of a 2006 survey. The survey of more than 1700 people revealed that:

• 75 per cent of Aucklanders wanted red light cameras
• 41 per cent of people said CBD intersections were unsafe for pedestrians
• 46 per cent of people said they see red-light running in the CBD at least weekly.

Recent data collection quantified the frequency of red-light runners. For example, the volume of red-light runners at the intersection of Victoria and Nelson streets on 2 January 2008, indicated 418 vehicles ran red lights within a 24-hour period.