The city Department of Transportation (DOT) will be activating 250 new red light cameras at intersections across the Big Apple over the next six weeks and will have cameras at 600 intersections by the end of the year, the agency announced on Friday.
The cameras, which ticket reckless drivers who run red lights, are currently in place at just 150 intersections around the city. That is because state law previously capped how many red light cameras the city could operate at that number.
But in fall 2024, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law allowing the city to add 450 more red light cameras — bringing the total up to 600.
DOT will add 50 new cameras a week over the next six weeks and reach the full 600 by the end of this year, according to the agency.
“Red light running is one of the most dangerous behaviors on our city’s streets and puts all New Yorkers at risk,” DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said in a statement. “That is why we are taking immediate action to ramp up the city’s red light camera program.”
Although the law was in place all of last year, DOT under former Mayor Eric Adams did not activate any new red light cameras in 2025. A DOT spokesperson said that is because the agency was finalizing a new automated enforcement contract, updating older cameras, and installing new ones.
The spokesperson said they could not disclose the locations of the new cameras, so as not to undermine the effectiveness of the program.
The city has used red light cameras to combat dangerous driving for 30 years, according to DOT. The agency says the technology has cut red-light running by 73%, T-bone crashes by 65%, and rear-end collisions by 49% at intersections where it has been installed.
Drivers caught going through red lights by the cameras are issued $50 fines.
The cameras also help reckless drivers change their behavior, DOT says. In 2023, 94% of vehicles the cameras captured running red lights had no more than one or two violations, according to the agency, and fewer than 0.5% of vehicles got hit with five or more infractions.
“I passed the law to expand the red light camera program for a simple reason: we know it works,” said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn), who sponsored the law expanding the number of cameras the city can operate.
“The reality is, most drivers don’t run red lights,” he added. “But those drivers, along with everyone else, are safer when the ones who do are held accountable. Decades of data makes it clear: these cameras reduce crashes and save lives.”
This story first appeared on Brooklyn Paper’s sister site amNewYork.
