Red-light cameras catch violators. Here’s why the city of Raleigh is ending its program.

Anna Johnson
·3 min read
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Raleigh is ending a decades-old program aimed at improving traffic safety.

After more than 20 years, the city is about to eliminate its red-light camera program. There are 25 Raleigh intersections with cameras, capturing about 40,000 red-light violations a year.

City staff is recommending the city not renew its contract with Conduent, the operator of the city’s camera systems, on April 8. The program is one of the last in the state.

A lack of support for these program in the N.C. General Assembly and lawsuits in other municipalities factored into the decision.

“Most red-light camera programs in North Carolina, including the first program in Charlotte, Cary’s program, and most recently Greenville’s program have all been shuttered in part due to third-party litigation,” Jed Niffenegger, the city’s traffic engineer, wrote in a memo to the Raleigh City Council.

Brian Ceccarelli, a self-described “red-light robber” sued the town of Cary, arguing that the time given yellow lights was too short, The News & Observer previously reported. He runs a website that seeks people to challenge red-light camera programs like Raleigh’s.

Raleigh taking new approach to intersection safety

Raleigh is also taking a new approach to intersection safety called Vision Zero to emphasize system-wide change instead of one-off interventions that affect behaviors at individual intersections.

However, the city still wants to make improvements at the intersections that currently have red-light cameras. Reflective backplates, a border on traffic signals to make them stand out, were installed on red-light-camera intersection signals in late 2023.

Those backplates are “an effective countermeasure to reduce total crashes at an intersection by approximately 15%,” said Sean Driskill, the city’s Vision Zero program manager.

Raleigh also hired a firm to review the red-light camera intersections in late 2023 and submitted multiple safety improvements to the N.C. Department of Transportation this month. The city will find out in the next three months if it gets picked for state funding.

The city doesn’t make money from the program. Fines cover the cost of the program, with any extra revenue going to the Wake County Public School System. In the last five years, the program has generated $1.3 million for WCPSS.

Where are Raleigh’s red-light cameras?

There are 25 red light camera locations throughout the city. They were picked based on the locations’ history of crashes involving drivers running red lights.

  • Southbound Dawson Street at Morgan Street

  • Westbound Edenton Street at Wilmington Street

  • Northbound Morgan Street at Harrington Street

  • Northbound McDowell Street at Morgan Street

  • Eastbound New Bern Avenue at Tarboro Street

  • Westbound Martin Luther King Boulevard at Blount Street

  • Westbound Martin Luther King Boulevard at Rock Quarry Road

  • Eastbound Martin Luther King Boulevard at State Street

  • Southbound Wilmington Street at Chapanoke Road

  • Westbound New Bern Avenue at Interstate-440 westbound ramps

  • Eastbound New Bern Avenue at I-440 Eastbound Ramps

  • Northbound New Hope Road at Corporation Parkway

  • Northbound Gorman Avenue at Thistledown Drive

  • Southbound Edward Mills Road at John Humphries Wynd

  • Eastbound Lynn Road at Hilburn Drive

  • Southbound Six Forks Road at Rowan Street

  • Eastbound New Hope Church Road at Brentwood Road

  • Northbound Six Fords Road at Dartmouth Road

  • Westbound Millbrook Road at Old Wake Forest Road

  • Northbound Triangle Town Boulevard at Town Drive

  • Southbound Forestville Road at US 401 Louisburg

  • Southbound Lead Mine Road at Sawmill Road

  • Northbound Green Road at Calvary Drive

  • Northbound Capital Boulevard at Buffaloe Road

  • Northbound Capital Boulevard at Highwoods Boulevard