More red light cameras coming to Philly intersections

More Philadelphia intersections will soon get red light cameras designed to discourage drivers from going through red lights.

A proposal from the Philadelphia Parking Authority calls for new cameras near the Rocky Statue on Eakins Oval at Kelly Drive, and three other places by January: 58th Street and Baltimore Avenue, North Front Street and Hunting Park Avenue, and North 20th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

PPA’s Corrine O’Connor said the cameras have been proven to work.

“Since the program began back in 2005, when the cameras go into an intersection, it changes driving behavior,” she said.

She added spreading the cameras citywide will help enforce driving regulations to help keep everyone safe.

“It’s not just the boulevard. So it does touch on every neighborhood in Philadelphia. If you can be safer on your commute to work or your kids get to school, that’s really the goal of what we’re trying to achieve.”

The cameras generate between $10 million and $16 million a year in revenue, some of which is shared statewide for street and highway safety projects. There are cameras at 34 intersections currently, and that number will grow to 38 with the new approvals.

There had been a lull in installing new cameras because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but O’Connor said an additional vendor joining the program will improve the current system. The new cameras should be installed by the end of February.

The cameras issue about 700 tickets a day, with a fine but no drivers license points, according to PPA officials.

There have been requests for cameras at more than 50 intersections in neighborhoods throughout the city, according to the PPA. Each new camera installation must be approved by both City Council and Mayor Jim Kenney and only comes after a major study of traffic in the area.