ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Red light cameras may be making a comeback in Rochester as city leaders grapple with what Mayor Malik Evans calls an “out of control” danger to pedestrians.

“People say are you bringing back automated enforcement? Yeah – we are. Hopefully. Eventually,” Mayor Evans said. “Because the number of crashes and fatalities we have seen is absolutely out of control. Ridiculous.”

The mayor made these remarks as he released the city’s crime report card, highlighting a recent incident where a Do The Right Thing award winner was recognized for pulling his little sister out from under a car.

“The pedestrian safety is out of control,” Mayor Evans said to cheers from the crowd.

Rochester had red light cameras about 10 years ago, but the program was scrapped because most of the people who received tickets couldn’t afford them, and there weren’t any in the suburbs.

However, the idea of bringing them back is gaining traction among government leaders. Senator Jeremy Cooney, Chair of the NYS Senate Transportation Committee, told News10NBC’s Berkeley Brean that Rochester should be having this conversation if other communities are.

“If other communities are having these conversations, Rochester should be having this conversation as well,” Senator Cooney said.

Automated tickets can be tricky though. The city of Albany is using them in school zones and ticketed 10,000 drivers in 10 days. The state DOT’s photo radar on I-490 caught 25,000 drivers in 26 days. The tickets are also virtually impossible to fight because it’s nearly impossible to get a court date.

Despite these challenges, automated traffic cameras are a priority in the city’s traffic safety plan called “Vision Zero”, which has a goal of no accidents. Out of the 10 priorities listed in the plan, automated traffic cameras come in at number 8.

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