The City of Albany has reduced the number of planned red-light cameras by almost half. Back in April, there was an estimation of about 64 cameras that would be installed. Now, the number has dropped to 36. The thought process? Start small and expand if need be.
photo credit: Red Lights via photopin (license)
After working with its vendor, Gatso USA, the city was convinced by the Dutch firm to lower the amount of cameras in the area. This is because they felt it would be easier to scale back ahead of time and add more cameras if necessary, then implement too many and remove them after installation. The City of Albany reserves the right to add more cameras as time goes on, as long as it stays within its 20 intersection limit.
Police Chief Brendan Cox reported to the Times Union, “We recognized that it would make more sense to be in the high-30 range. If you can get your compliance based on two cameras (AT one intersection) rather than four cameras, let’s work on getting it with two cameras.
Cox also stated to the paper that installation has taken longer than expected, but to expect the cameras to go live within the next week or two.
So, how will you know if an intersection has a red-light camera? There will be two sets of signs alerting drivers to the cameras before reaching the intersection. The first is a yellow diamond depicting a traffic signal with an image of a flashing camera. The second, is a vertical white rectangle with the words “photo enforced” on it.
Keep in mind that once the “warning period” is up for that intersection, those who run red lights will receive a $50 violation in the mail.
What do you think about the reduction of red-light cameras in the city of Albany?
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