01/23/2024
We see lots of vehicles involved in red light collisions, some really bad. Please don’t be our customer because you or someone else ran a red light or stop sign 🛑 🚦!
THE CITY OF SUFFOLK IS INTRODUCING THE FINAL PHASE OF AUTOMATED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS - RED LIGHT PHOTO ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS
SUFFOLK, VA (January 23, 2024) The City of Suffolk is introducing the final phase of automated traffic enforcement cameras known as Red Light Photo Cameras. These cameras are being implemented to enhance public safety by enforcing red light laws and raising awareness about running red lights. This initiative is part of a broader enforcement program that includes various types of cameras introduced last year, such as Work Zone, School Zone, and School Bus Stop-Arm cameras.
Red light enforcement cameras will be installed at nine intersections across the city. The initial intersection, Lake Prince Drive and Pruden Boulevard, is ready to enter a 30-day warning period starting on February 5, 2024. The remaining eight intersections will initiate their warning periods soon. Public Works will have messaging boards at intersections to notify drivers. During this warning period, individuals who violate red light rules will receive a cautionary letter sent to their homes. Following the warning period, violators will face a $50.00 fine.
***It is important to note that we are limited by State legislation to install automated enforcement to no more than 10% of our total traffic signals. The locations chosen were based on a study that showed automated enforcement would be an effective tool in curtailing accidents caused by drivers failing to obey signals at these intersections.***
If you make a left or right turn at an intersection monitored by a red-light safety camera, here's what you need to know:
· If a vehicle is completely within the intersection at the time the light turns red, you will not be issued a violation.
Right Turn:
· A red-light violation occurs if the driver fails to come to a complete stop behind the limit line before making a right turn.
· Motorists should only proceed with the right turn after coming to a full stop and ensuring it is safe to do so.
Right Turn with 'No Turn On Red' sign:
· A red-light violation occurs when the driver completes a right turn at the intersection before the signal turns green for that direction.
Left Turn:
· A red-light violation occurs if the driver fails to come to a complete stop behind the limit line when the controlling signal turns red.
· Motorists should only proceed with the left turn when the signal changes to green, and it is safe to do so.
INTERSECTIONS WITH ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS
· Pruden Boulevard at Lake Prince Drive - WARNING PERIOD STARTS FEBRUARY 5, 2024.
· Holland Road at West end of Suffolk Bypass
· Harbour View Blvd. at Bridge Road
· College Drive at Bridge Road
· North Main Street at West Constance Road
· Shoulders Hill Road at Bridge Road (After roadway project construction)
· Godwin Boulevard at Kings Fork Road
· Portsmouth Boulevard-Nansemond Parkway-East Washington Street Intersection
· One additional location - TBD
Photo-enforced signs are located within 500 feet of the intersection to remind drivers to comply with the traffic signal. Vehicles that enter the intersection after the light has turned red for 0.5 or ½ second are captured.
The enforcement system uses a high-speed video camera to determine when the signal is red. Once it has been red for more than 0.5 seconds, the system’s sensor tracks vehicles approaching the stop bar, if a vehicle crosses the stop bar, the system records an image of the vehicle prior to the stop bar showing the signal was red. The enforcement system continues to track the vehicle as it travels through the intersection – once fully in the intersection, a second photograph is taken of the vehicle proceeding through the intersection while the signal still red. An additional close-up of the registration plate is taken from the first image to allow DMV lookup of the vehicle’s registered owner. A 12-second video of the violation event is recorded to show the violating vehicle’s progression through the intersection. The Suffolk Police Department uses this photographic and video evidence to issue a civil penalty to the registered owner of the vehicle.
For a comprehensive list of intersections, including details about the warning period and activation dates, as well as more information about the Automated Traffic Enforcement Cameras, please visit https://www.suffolkva.us/1711/Traffic-Enforcement-Cameras
