NYC to activate red-light cameras at 450 intersections by end of 2026
Credit: NYC DOT
New York City is ramping up its red-light camera program, aiming to quadruple the number of cameras at intersections by the end of the year. On Friday, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn announced the city will activate cameras at 50 new intersections per week for the next five weeks. Red-light cameras are currently installed at 150 intersections—the maximum previously allowed under law—but state legislation passed in 2024 now permits the expansion to reach the full 600.
Established in the 1990s, New York’s red-light camera program made the city one of the nation’s first to use the technology for traffic enforcement. However, the original law limited the program to 222 cameras at 150 intersections, a cap that has remained in place since 2009, according to Gothamist.
Intersections with red-light cameras have seen a 73 percent decline in red-light running, a 65 percent drop in T-bone crashes, and a 49 percent reduction in rear-end collisions. The cameras target some of the city’s most dangerous drivers, as vehicles that rack up five or more red light violations in a year are more than 100 times as likely to cause a crash resulting in serious injury or death.
The program has also proven effective at changing driver behavior and preventing repeat offenses. In 2023, 94 percent of vehicles caught running a red light received no more than one or two violations, and fewer than 0.5 percent of vehicles received five or more violations.
Additional cameras will be installed at intersections based on factors such as crash history. DOT spokesperson Vincent Barone told Gothamist that he would not disclose the exact locations, noting that keeping camera sites “secret” makes the program more effective and that the new cameras will target areas with high crash rates.
Drivers caught running a red light by a camera receive a $50 fine. According to city data, the program generated $20 million in net revenue in 2024.
In a statement, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, who sponsored the legislation, highlighted the program’s proven safety benefits.
“New Yorkers should not have to fear for their lives every time they cross the street,” Gounardes said. “I passed the law to expand the red-light camera program for a simple reason: we know it works. The reality is, most drivers don’t run red lights. But those drivers, along with everyone else, are safer when the ones who do are held accountable. Decades of data makes it clear: these cameras reduce crashes and save lives.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul passed legislation in October 2024 that expands the city’s red-light camera program and extends it through December 1, 2027.
Although the law had been in effect for over a year, former Mayor Eric Adams did not activate any new cameras in 2025. A DOT spokesperson told amNY that the delay was due to “finalizing a new automated enforcement contract, updating older cameras, and installing new ones.”
RELATED:
