Politics & Government

Red Light Cameras Temporarily Turned Off at Freedom Parkway at Boulevard

Drivers and pedestrians should use extra care at a few key Atlanta intersections where the right light camera operation is temporarily suspended.


Though it is still illegal to run red lights, those who choose to run the light at Freedom Parkway at Boulevard will not receive a ticket in the mail showing their infraction via photograph.

The City of Atlanta recently announced that starting March 15th, "all Red Light Cameras within the City of Atlanta limits will cease to operate."  The decision to halt the program is due to the expiration of a contract the city had with Xerox to install and maintain the cameras.

According to a city press release, "the Red Light Camera Program is expected to resume by mid-May 2013, pending the installation of a new vendor." Until then, there are 3 intersections that no longer have red light cameras working.

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• Spring Street at North Avenue
• Cleveland Avenue at Metropolitan Parkway
• Freedom Parkway at Boulevard

Drivers and pedestrians should use extra care at these intersections because they were high incident intersections to begin with, which is why the city installed the red light cameras.  In addition, as more and more drivers learn that the camera is no longer active, there is a chance that some drivers will become more reckless and try to run the lights.

Find out what's happening in East Atlantawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the prepared statement, the city says that the public will get 30 days notice before the cameras are reactivated:

Drivers are urged to obey all traffic laws whether or not cameras are active and/or installed at any location. Red light camera running is a moving offense that could contribute to vehicular collisions. Violators are subject to a $70 fine per offense. - City of Atlanta

What do you think of the city's move? Do you think red light cameras are a useful tool to reduce accidents? Tell us what you think in the comments area below.



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