PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Portsmouth drivers could see a citation in the mail if you run a red light, now that cameras have been installed at nine locations.
They will be able to measure a vehicle’s movement when a stop light changes from yellow to red.
A video and a series of photographs document vehicles traveling through the active red light, recording the date, time and location of the violation and the license plate.
Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover said these devices are in places where traffic violations happen the most.
“We can’t have our law enforcement officers in those places all the time to enforce those types of laws, so it’s important,” Glover said. “It’s a public safety issue for me, and if we save one life of an individual or one life of a child perhaps because of these cameras, it’s absolutely worth it.”
Glover said no citation will be issued until a Portsmouth police officer reviews and certifies the evidence. Critics say the cameras are invasion of privacy and a money grab for the city. The city started issuing citations on July 22, following a 30-day grace period.
The cameras are being installed in phases.
WAVY confirmed cameras are currently operating at, and citations are being issued at:
- Towne Point Road and Twin Pines Road
- Frederick Boulevard and Turnpike Road
- Victory Boulevard and Greenwood Drive
Camera installation at these additional six intersections is in the works:
- Airline Boulevard and Victory Boulevard
- Cedar Lane and West High Street
- Frederick Boulevard and Airline Boulevard
- Portsmouth Boulevard and Elmhurst Lane
- Portsmouth Boulevard and Airline Boulevard
- Victory Boulevard and George Washington Highway
For more on Portsmouth’s red-light cameras, see below:
Portsmouth had already been using school zone speed cameras.
Those cameras went live Jan. 1.
