Auckland could add six red light cameras a year for the next decade

Wednesday, 9 May 2018

$8 million has been budgeted for the next decade for new Auckland red light cameras and maintenance.

Aucklanders might want to reconsider running red lights at busy intersections, as more cameras could be on the way.

Up to six red light cameras could be added a year for the next 10 years.

In Auckland Transport's draft regional land transport plan (RLTP), $8 million has been budgeted for red light cameras over the next decade.

AT's group manager of network management and safety, Randhir Karma, said future sites have yet to be determined.

'This project includes budget for an additional six red light safety cameras per year,' he said.

About 826 red light runners have been snapped in east Auckland after the camera there went live in early 2015.

'[The sites] are likely to be large urban intersections with significant traffic volumes, where significant safety issues are evident and the severity of crashes is unusually high.'

The funding - roughly $800,000 a year - would also include maintenance and upgrading existing sites to new technology.

* Cameras set up to catch Auckland red light runners**

* More red light cameras coming to Auckland

Karma said it the plan was still out for consultation. But potential intersections would continue to be evaluated over time.

'Red light safety is, and will continue to be, a priority for Auckland Transport.'

Last year, there were five deaths, 30 people seriously injured and 477 crashes related to red light running.

Compare that to the five years prior: There were four people killed and 79 serious injuries.

ARE CAMERAS WORKING?

Police and Auckland Transport both own red light cameras in Auckland.

According to road policing data, hundreds of motorists have been snapped running a red at two busy intersections since 2015.

Police own cameras at the Lambie Dr interchange, in Manukau, and the Ti Rakau Dr and Botany Rd intersection in east Auckland.

Analysis from the past two years would suggest it has had some impact.

In 2015, the camera in south Auckland caught 648 motorists in its first nine months of operation.

The following year, the Lambie Dr camera caught 849 motorists and in east Auckland there were 358.

Both intersections decreased last year, with 521 at Lambie Dr and 296 in the east.

So far the police cameras have, combined, generated $432,000 in fines for the Government's consolidated fund.

Data from the first months of 2018 has yet to be released.

Auckland Transport launched five cameras in 2015 across central and eastern parts of the city.

Last year, it announced a further six cameras at a cost of about $120,000 each.

Stuff revealed on Tuesday that the cameras, turned on in January, have had issues with calibration and haven't issued any fines.

Other cameras are planned to be installed in four hotspots.

A report in AT's April board meeting stated there were six more cameras proposed.

Those included two cameras at the Great South Rd and Cavendish Dr intersection in Manukau and two for Te Irirangi Dr and Accent Dr.

Elsewhere they would be at Great South Rd and Reagan Rds and the intersection with Great North Rd, Titirangi Rd and Rata St.

Consultation on the draft RLTP closes on May 14.