19 locations for red light and speed cameras.
After more than six months of compiling data on speeding, red light running, and local “roadway geometry,” the Elicker administration has submitted a 365-page report to the state’s transportation department — and hopes to install automated traffic-safety cameras by next spring.
That’s the latest with the city’s effort to put up 19 speeding and red-light cameras around town.
The state legislature passed a law allowing for such automated enforcement cameras in 2023. The Board of Alders signed off on the Elicker administration’s 19-camera plan in May.
The city-approved traffic cameras are designed to record images of the offending vehicle’s license plate. Then, after review of that footage by a city-contracted vendor and by a city transit employee, the city will send a ticket worth $50 to $75 to the vehicle’s owner.
City spokesperson Lenny Speiller told the Independent that the city sent in its so-called Automated Traffic Enforcement Safety Devices (ATESD) plan to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT) in early December. That document is now under review by the state.
According to city transportation director Sandeep Aysola, since the alders locally approved the traffic camera plan in May, the city has worked on the following:
• Collecting supplemental data required by the state DOT. That data was incorporated into the now-submitted plan. “This includes data such as traffic volume and speeds, roadway geometry, and land use information.”
• Developing a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) “to procure a vendor/operator to install and implement the camera program.” That RFP will be advertised later this month.
• Engaging in recruitment efforts to identify candidates for a traffic engineer and systems technician — the two newly created city positions that will oversee this camera program.
“We anticipate launching the program in Spring 2025,” Aysola said. “However, full implementation depends on a number of factors, including CT DOT approvals, procurement and supply-chain, and permitting and installment timelines.”
“We’re committed to being among the first municipalities in the state to utilize red light and speed safety cameras,” added Mayor Justin Elicker in a separate comment. “These cameras are a critically important enforcement tool – and, more importantly, a deterrent — to ensure that motorists are driving safely and obeying our traffic laws near our schools and on our streets.” He said the city has been moving “as quickly as possible” to submit its plan to the state DOT for approval, as well as on preparing to get the cameras up and running after they’re approved.
So. What’s in this 365-page, newly submitted report?
Well, there’s a lot. A few snapshots include:
• Between 2020 and 2022, there were nearly 20,000 crashes recorded in New Haven; 58 of those were fatal, and 256 involved serious injuries. During that same period, 27 pedestrians and cyclists were killed, and 61 were seriously injured.
• There were a total of 614 red light-running crashes during that time period, and 717 speeding-related crashes.
“While these numbers may appear to be low relative to other type of crashes, data from documented crash data does not fully capture the severity of the problem,” the report states.
“For instance, at the intersection of Orange Street and MLK Jr. Boulevard, the City recorded — using traffic cameras — nearly 230 Red light violations, over a 5‑hour period. Recorded and observed data demonstrate that Speeding and Red light violations are major concerns that require interventions to deter risky driving behavior.”