Almost a year after the state legislature granted approval for localities to use photo red cameras, neither the City of Charlottesville nor Albemarle County seem to be in a hurry. The cameras, to be placed at traffic stops, would snap pictures of the license plates of cars crossing an intersection after the traffic light turned red. Legislation passed in 2007 allows the city to put up such cameras at three intersections, while the county could put them up at nine.
For Albemarle County, local officials are researching the viability of putting in the cameras, mainly by looking at other areas around the state. “As far as implementation goes, it’s nothing that’s going to be happening any time soon,” says Lt. Todd Hopwood, spokesman for the Albemarle Police Department.
Likewise with the city. “Photo red is something we are interested in but have not set any money aside for,” says Ric Barrick, city spokesperson.
As plans for traffic cameras are formulated in the city and county, Albemarle County has started a new program to crack down on those running red lights starting June 23. In the first two days of running the program, 27 summonses were issued for drivers running red lights, 20 were issued for speeding violations, while five were found driving on suspended/revoked licenses.
The city is being more proactive with the installation of cameras on the Downtown Mall. In approximately two to three weeks, the Charlottesville Police Department will be sending City Council recommendations for closed circuit cameras that police say would help deter crime and catch offenders. City Council voted in December to move ahead with a $300,000 preliminary plan for cameras that would not be controlled at a central location, which councilors thought was too great a compromise of privacy.
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